Kenneth Prewitt (1936–2026) was a political scientist and public servant best known for his work on the role of science in public policy and the politics of racial classification in America, particularly as applied to the United States Census. He was most recently Carnegie Professor Emeritus of Public Affairs at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
As a self-described “academic temporarily parked elsewhere,” Prewitt took on leadership roles in public service and nonprofit organizations, serving as director of the US Census Bureau (1998–2001), president of the Social Science Research Council (1979–1985, 1995–1998), senior vice president of the Rockefeller Foundation (1985–1995), and director of the National Opinion Research Center (1976–1979). While working on the 2000 census, he frequently appeared before Congress and in the popular media to encourage participation and public confidence in the census, calling it “a civic activity of the highest order.” Those experiences informed his later writings about census mobilization, data collection, and the consequences of racial measurement.
Prewitt was president of the AAPSS from 2015 to 2021.
Professional positions
- 2002–2026: Carnegie Professor (later Emeritus) of Public Affairs), School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia university
- 2001–2002: Dean, Graduate Faculty, The New School
- 1998–2001: Director, US Census Bureau (under President Bill Clinton)
- 1985–1995: Senior Vice President, Rockefeller Foundation
- 1979–1985: President, Social Science Research Council
- 1965–1982: Assistant, associate, and full professor of political science, University of Chicago
- 1963–1964: Assistant professor of political science, Washington University in St. Louis
Notable publications
- Prewitt, Kenneth. 2013. What Is “Your” Race? The Census and Our Flawed Efforts to Classify Americans. Princeton University Press.
- Prewitt, Kenneth, Thomas A. Schwandt, and Miron L. Straf, eds. 2012. Using Science as Evidence in Public Policy. National Academies Press.
- Hillygus, D. Sunshine, Norman H. Nie, Kenneth Prewitt, and Heili Pals, eds. 2010. The Hard Count: The Political and Social Challenges of Census Mobilization. Russell Sage Foundation.
- Prewitt, Kenneth. 2000. “The US Decennial Census: Political Questions, Scientific Answers.” Population and Development Review 26 (1): 1–16.
Degrees
- PhD, political science, Stanford University
- MA, political science, Washington University in St. Louis
- BA, history and government, Southern Methodist University
In The ANNALS
- Volume 677, May 2018: What Census Data Miss About American Diversity (coedited with Richard Alba)
- Volume 657, January 2015: “Who Is Listening? When Scholars Think They Are Talking to Congress”
- Volume 631, September 2010: “What Is Political Interference in Federal Statistics?”
- Volume 361, September 1965: “Political Socialization and Leadership Selection”
President’s Corner
- June 2021: Social Science Has Two Weaknesses
- February 2021: Self-Inflicted Wounds
- October 2020: Obliteration by Incorporation
- February 2020: The Impact Agenda
- July 2019: The Science Policy Landscape
- February 2019: Census 2020—The Challenge That Won’t Go Away
