[gov3009-l] Gov 3009 Applied Statistics Workshop (9/15) -- Christopher Kenny

Dear Applied Statistics Workshop Community, Our next meeting of the semester will be at *12:10 pm (EST) Wednesday, September 15*, where Christopher Kenny <https://www.christophertkenny.com> (Harvard University) presents "The Use of Differential Privacy for Census Data and its Impact on Redistricting: The Case of the 2020 U.S. Census." This is joint work with Shiro Kuriwaki (Stanford University), Cory McCartan (Harvard University), Evan Rosenman (Harvard Data Science Initiative), Tyler Simko (Harvard University), and Kosuke Imai (Harvard University). **Abstract** Census statistics play a key role in public policy decisions and social science research. Yet given the risk of revealing individual information, many statistical agencies are considering disclosure control methods based on differential privacy, which add noise to tabulated data. Unlike other applications of differential privacy, however, census statistics must be post-processed after noise injection to be usable. We study the impact of the US Census Bureau's latest Disclosure Avoidance System (DAS) on a major application of census statistics---the redrawing of electoral districts. We find that the DAS systematically undercounts the population in mixed-race and mixed-partisan precincts, yielding unpredictable racial and partisan biases. While the DAS leads to a likely violation of the "One Person, One Vote" standard as currently interpreted, it does not prevent accurate predictions of an individual's race and ethnicity. Our findings underscore the difficulty of balancing accuracy and respondent privacy in the Census. **Where:** CGIS Knafel Building, Room K354 (See this link <https://map.harvard.edu/?bld=04471&level=9> for directions). **When:** Wednesday, September 15 at 12:10 - 1:30 pm. (Bagged lunches available for pick-up at CGIS K354 *11:30 - 11:45 am*, for the participants who responded to our previous survey. The CGIS cafe on the first floor has been designated as an eating area, and participants may also use outdoor spaces for lunch. Please be present at K354 by 12:10 pm for the presentations.) **Zoom link**: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/97004196610?pwd=eGFydkF5RDRjUlk5RVcyTjV6OStUQT09 (For the participants who cannot join the session physically.) **Schedule of the workshop**: https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/applied.stats.workshop-gov3009 Looking forward to seeing you all on Wednesday! Best, Sooahn