As a researcher who has (and continues to) use the publicly available census data, I agree with this.
IMO it makes more sense to have higher quality micro level data products that are only available in statistical data centers, https://www.census.gov/about/adrm/fsrdc.html, as opposed to these aggregate tables that even before all this were of variable quality.
This comes with a cost that not everyone can have easy access to the data anymore, but I think that will result in higher quality research in the end (even if less quantity overall).
Apportionment should be done in some standard way as well by states/fed instead of the gerrymandering mess we have now, but unfortunately that is not likely to happen anytime soon.
IMO it makes more sense to have higher quality micro level data products that are only available in statistical data centers, https://www.census.gov/about/adrm/fsrdc.html, as opposed to these aggregate tables that even before all this were of variable quality.
This comes with a cost that not everyone can have easy access to the data anymore, but I think that will result in higher quality research in the end (even if less quantity overall).
Apportionment should be done in some standard way as well by states/fed instead of the gerrymandering mess we have now, but unfortunately that is not likely to happen anytime soon.