Census 2000: Who says counting is easy as 1-2-3?

The Census Bureau's originally announced Census 2000 plan called for the use of probability sampling methods to supplement the conventional counting methods of attempts at direct contact with every household in producing the population count. Just how sampling might improve results from counting alone seems to remain unclear to many. The first part of this article shares the lessons learned in a 1997 experience with eleven youth concerning the benefits of using sampling methods to improve counting results. The second part of the paper drawn on a publication (see endnote 3) and gives details of the role of sampling in the Census Bureau's current Census 2000 plan for producing the population count for purposes other than apportionment of the U.S. House of Representatives.