 |
|
|
The estimates of the undocumented population are based on analyses of the 2005 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). Undocumented status was assessed for individuals who were not U.S.-born, naturalized, or a legal permanent resident (without a green card). Individuals without a green card were examined based on their country of birth and number of years living in the U.S. The probability of being undocumented given this information was obtained from other sources and each individual without a green card was assigned to either a documented or undocumented status. Assignment of undocumented status was corrected for improbable situations, including individuals who reported being naturalized but resided in the U.S. six years or less and non-citizen children in families who reported a documentation status that did not logically follow from their parents’ status. The estimated number of undocumented persons in California presented in this fact sheet (2.34 million, with the 95% confidence interval ranging from 2.20 million to 2.48 million) is within the range of other existing estimates (such as Jeffrey S. Passel’s estimate of 2.4 million, accessed on 2-12-2007). Health insurance and employment status reflected the respondents’ status at the time of the CHIS interview in 2005.
The authors are grateful to Jeffrey Passel of the Pew Hispanic Center for sharing his estimates of the undocumented population, and to Royce Park of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research for statistical support.
|
|
