Researchers Mobilize to Defend America's Public Data Infrastructure

America’s public data infrastructure is under serious strain. Survey response rates have been falling for years, key federal datasets have been eliminated, and thousands of federal statistical workers have lost their jobs. Advisory committees that once connected researchers to the federal statistical system are disappearing.

At the 2026 Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting in St. Louis, demographers and data advocates gathered to assess the growing pressures on federal statistics—and to discuss what researchers can do.

The session, “Responding to the Public Data Crisis: Ways Researchers Can Take Action,” was convened by PAA’s Committee on Applied Demography and chaired by Sarah Burgoyne of the Tampa Bay Partnership. Panelists included Amy O’Hara of Georgetown’s Massive Data Institute and the Association of Public Data Users (APDU); Chris Dick of Demographic Analytics Advisors and dataindex.us; and Mark Mather of PRB and the Federal Data Forum. Beth Jarosz (Georgetown University and APDU) moderated.

Federal Data Systems Were Already Under Strain

O’Hara opened with a reminder that the federal statistical system faced serious challenges well before the disruptions of 2025. Survey response rates were declining. Agency budgets were chronically constrained. And modernization efforts lagged behind growing technological demands.

“It wasn’t like we were starting from a perfect place,” O’Hara said. “The agencies were always scrambling to make sure that they were relevant.”

Then came executive orders, hiring freezes, reductions in force, and cascading uncertainty.

“I was working with one agency—their entire set of data scientists were [let go],” O’Hara said.  “So we had to refactor. And just these constant changes—it was like every day was a new assault.”

Panelists described the cumulative toll: staff departures, stalled modernization projects, and eroding institutional capacity across the agencies responsible for collecting and stewarding federal data.

The Census and ACS Face Escalating Threats

Mather described mounting concerns about the decennial census and the American Community Survey (ACS), both already grappling with declining response rates.

“Data users are infrastructure,” Mather said. “They provide incredibly important feedback. They train the trainers. They’re a critical piece of the whole infrastructure.”

Many senior Census Bureau staff have left, taking decades of institutional knowledge with them. Scientific advisory committees that provided external review and accountability have been disbanded. PRB’s own longstanding partnership with the Census Bureau was affected—including the abrupt end of an ACS Data Users Community with over 7,500 members. (It has since relaunched as part of the Federal Data Forum). 

The Census Bureau’s 2030 Census testing program has also been scaled back from six test sites to two, both in Southern metropolitan areas. The remaining tests are focused largely on whether U.S. Postal Service workers can serve as enumerators, an approach a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found would not be cost-effective. The tests use English-only questionnaires.

Meanwhile, new legislative proposals would make the ACS and the 2030 Census voluntary, limit household contact attempts to two, and bar the Census Bureau from including undocumented immigrants in apportionment counts.

“Some of the groups that we’ve labeled ‘hard to count’ in the past could basically become invisible,” Mather warned.

Critical Federal Surveys Are Disappearing

Dick flagged the elimination of the Agricultural Labor Survey and the Drug Abuse Warning Network—less-visible casualties that carry major implications for policymaking and research.

But the most concerning loss so far, he argued, is the Food Security Supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS)—the primary source of state-level data on food insecurity. Its termination came amid historic threats to SNAP, which serves over 22 million households.

“It’s the key piece of data that we have on a state-by-state level to actually understand food insecurity in the United States,” Dick said. “And now we’re not going to have data on it.”

Tracking Threats Before Data Disappear

Panelists also highlighted emerging efforts to monitor threats and rally the public around federal data.

Dataindex.us monitors changes to federal datasets and statistical infrastructure in real time. Its “Data Checkup” framework evaluates datasets across six dimensions of risk and flags proposed changes to federal surveys before they take effect. A “Take Action” page, updated weekly, identifies open public comment opportunities and helps users respond.

“Every time the government makes a change to a survey or form, you have the right to weigh in,” Dick explained.

Mobilizing Researchers With Rapid Response

When major data threats emerge, organizations including APDU, PRB, and dataindex.us have begun convening rapid-response webinars, typically 30 minutes, focused on what’s changing and how to respond.

“We knew that people wanted to do something, but we also knew that people don’t know how to respond to a Federal Register notice,” O’Hara said. “So we set up these very short webinars and basically told people: you can respond. You don’t have to respond to every single point. You just need to make your voice heard.”

The briefings have drawn hundreds of participants and driven a meaningful increase in public comment submissions.

Rebuilding Data User Communities

Mather emphasized the importance of rebuilding communities that connect data users with one another—and with federal agencies.

“If there’s one thing I learned in the past year, it’s that you don’t want to get in between a data user and their survey,” Mather said. “The response has been really inspiring.”

“Friends of” advocacy groups, supporting agencies such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, have also been growing. “The Federal Statistical System needs friends right now,” Mather said.

Panelists also highlighted the Data Rescue Project, a volunteer-driven effort that has archived more than 1,200 datasets from dozens of federal agencies.

Trust, Funding, and AI Raise New Concerns

Beyond specific cuts, panelists worried about more existential threats, especially declining public trust.

“I truly don’t think we can science our way out of this problem,” Dick said. “If survey rates keep declining so much, we’re just not going to be able to do it.”

O’Hara focused on the funding challenges that will outlast the current political moment; no elected official is likely to campaign on restoring investment in data infrastructure, despite its importance.

Mather warned of a “death spiral” in which declining trust depresses response rates, reducing data quality and eroding trust further.

Jarosz raised AI, which she described as a “tool, not a solution.” While AI can improve efficiency in some areas, she noted, “you still need that robust data infrastructure underpinning all of it.”

Panelists also raised concerns about data privacy and inconsistent federal data-sharing policies, arguing that rebuilding trust will require stronger transparency and real enforcement.

“If there is something in statute that says data can only go here for this, we need people willing to enforce that,” O’Hara said.

Reaching Beyond the Data Community

Audience discussion focused on how to build broader public support. Panelists stressed the importance of connecting federal data to local issues people already care about—housing, healthcare, education, workforce development, and community planning.

“There are too many conversations where we’re talking to each other,” Mather said. “Making those concrete connections to the data and why it’s critical for communities and planning and local dollars—that’s where the case has to be made.”

The need for trustworthy data transcends political lines, Jarosz added.

“Data are not partisan. We all need good data to make informed decisions.”

A Growing Movement Fuels Optimism

Despite the challenges, panelists closed with cautious optimism.

“The movement advocating for federal data used to be very small,” Dick said. “It is getting bigger.”

“People have really picked a lane—data rescue, data monitoring, advocacy, community education—and we are all rowing in the same direction,” Jarosz said. “That was not guaranteed when we started.”

Learn More and Get Involved

• Join PRB’s Federal Data Forum, a free online community for federal data users across sectors.
• Monitor federal data changes and public comment opportunities at dataindex.us.
• Sign up for the APDU newsletter to stay informed of upcoming rapid-response briefings and other events.