A Vision for Equitable Data: Recommendations from the Equitable Data Working Group

This report explains the Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government ("Equity EO") launched a whole-of-government effort to incorporate the principle of equity throughout the federal government. Recognizing that the ability to conduct equity assessments and identify and remove barriers to equitable access to government programs is contingent on gathering the necessary data, President Biden ordered the formation of the Equitable Data Working Group. The President directed the Working Group to study existing federal data collection policies, programs, and infrastructure to identify inadequacies and provide recommendations that lay out a strategy for increasing data available for measuring equity and representing the diversity of the American people. The following recommendations are then discussed: make disaggregated data the norm while protecting privacy; catalyze existing federal infrastructure to leverage underused data; build capacity for robust equity assessment for policymaking and program implementation; galvanize diverse partnerships across levels of government and the research community; and be accountable to the American public. Key administration actions that address each of the recommendations are described.