The 2080 Census: The World As We (Don't) Know It

The 2080 Census: The World As We (Don't) Know It
by LINTON WEEKS (NPR)

April 15, 2012
Census data from the past is really hot. When the National Archives posted details from 72 years ago — the 1940 census — online recently, millions of Americans stampeded the website to try to learn more about their past.

But imagine how cool it would be if, by some twist of time, the National Archives were to make available detailed census information from nearly 70 years in the future — the 2080 census.

We asked James Dator, director of the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies, what kind of information census takers will be soliciting seven decades in the future. Dator says that possible questions might include:

—Do you have a home, or "biophysical domicile"? If so, is it on Earth, the moon, Mars or elsewhere?

—What is your current sex?

—What is your permission number for drinking water?

In a minute, we'll show you more suggested questions from Dator — along with John Sweeney and Seongwon Park, two Ph.D. candidates in the University of Hawaii at Manoa Alternative Futures program — based on their research.

http://www.npr.org/2012/04/15/150491261/the-2080-census-the-world-as-we-dont-know-it