Abstract

This paper introduces a method for estimating the size of the Korean American population in communities in the United States. Since about 22 percent of Korean Americans have the surname Kim and the telephone subscription/listing rate for Korean Americans is extremely high, a fairly simple equation for such estimation can be constructed. The number of Kims listed in the published telephone directory for a community, the mean size of the Kim households, the residence telephone subscription! listing rate, and the proportion of Kims are the factors included in the equation. A specific value for each of the factors has been derived from various “unobtrusive” and nongovernmental sources. Only insignificant differences have been found between estimates made using this method and the enumeration figures from the 1980 census for the Korean American population in the New York metropolitan area and Los Angeles and Orange counties. It appears that the equation is effective in estimating the size of the Korean American population in a community and could be a useful instrument in evaluating the accuracy of the 1980 Census enumeration of Korean Americans. The paper also describes the potential utility of Kims listed in published telephone directories as a sampling frame of Korean Americans in the United States. The ideas and procedures presented here can be extended to other ethnic populations with unique surnames, such as Nguyen for the Vietnamese American population and those starting with “Yama” ... for the Japanese American population.

Federal Communication Commission, Telephone Service, Orange County, Telephone Directory, Korean Immigrant
The text of this article is only available as a PDF.

References

Bonacich, E., & Jung, T. H. (
1979
).
A Portrait of Korean Small Business in Los Angeles. A paper presented at a meeting, “Korean Community in Los Angeles: Problems and Issues in Settlement.”
.
Los Angeles
:
Koryo Research Institute
.
Google Scholar
 
Bonacich, E., Light, I., & Wong, C. C. (
1980
).
Korean Immigrant Small Business in Los Angeles
. In Bryce-Laporte, R. (Ed.),
Sourcebook on the New Immigration: Implications for the United States and the International Community
(pp.
167
–
184
).
New Brunswick, New Jersey
:
Transaction Books
.
Google Scholar
 
Brunner, J. A., & Brunner, G. A. (
1979
).
Are Voluntarily Unlisted Telephone Subscribers Really Different?
.
Journal of Marketing Research
,
12
,
121
–
124
.
Google Scholar
 
Center for Asian-American Ministry, Claremont Theological Seminary. 1981. A Survey of Korean-Americans in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Unpublished Research Monograph, Claremont Seminary.
Feller, W. (
1968
).
An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Application
. Third Edition
New York
:
Wiley
.
Google Scholar
 
Forbes. 1979. September 17, 124:196–197.
Frankel, M. R., & Frankel, L. R. (
1977
).
Some their research. Recent Developments in Sample Survey Design
.
Journal of Marketing Research
,
14
,
280
–
293
. 10.2307/3150765
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
Glasser, G. J., & Metzger, G. D. (
1975
).
National Estimates of Nonlisted Telephone Households and Their Characteristics
.
Journal of Marketing Research
,
12
,
356
–
361
. 10.2307/3151238
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
Groves, R. M. 1979.Telephone Sampling. A paper presented in a Didactic Seminar at the 1979 Annual Meeting of The American Sociological Association, Boston, August 28, 1979.
Groves, R. M., & Kahn, R. L. (
1979
).
Surveys by Telephone: A National Comparison with Personal Interviews
.
New York
:
Academic Press
.
Google Scholar
 
Heer, D. M. (
1968
).
Social Statistics and the City
.
Cambridge, Mass.
:
Joint Center for Urban Studies of the MIT and Harvard University
.
Google Scholar
 
Hong, S. (
1978
).
Population Status Report: Korea
.
Seoul
:
Korean Development Institute
.
Google Scholar
 
Hurh, W. M. and K. C. Kim. 1980. Korean Immigrants in America: A Structural Analysis of Ethnic Confinement and Adhesive Adaptation. Final Report. National Institute of Mental Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Joongang Daily News. 1982a. July 2, p. 18.
Joongang Daily News. 1982b. September 25, p. 24.
Koo, H. and E. Yu. 1981. Korean Immigration to the United States: Its Demographic and Social Implications for Both Societies. Papers of the East-West Population Institute, No. 74. Honolulu: East-West Center.
Population Composition by Surnames: A Report on the Data from the 1975 Korean Census of Population
. (
1977
).
Seoul
:
Korea Economic Planning Board
.
The Korean Directory of Southern California. 1980. Los Angeles: Keys Advertising and Printing Company.
Lee, E. S. (
1968
).
Needed Improvements in Census Data Collection Procedures with Special Reference to the Disadvantaged
. In Heer, D. M. (Ed.),
Social Statistics and the City
(pp.
91
–
100
).
Cambridge, Mass.
:
Joint Center for Urban Studies
.
Google Scholar
 
Los Angeles Times. 1979. February 25, Section VIII, p. 1.
New York Times. 1977. June 25, p. 21.
Ostle, B., & Mensing, R. W. (
1975
).
Statistics in Research
. Third Edition
Ames
:
Iowa State University Press
.
Google Scholar
 
Parsons, C. W. (
1972
).
America’s Uncounted People
.
Washington, D.C.
:
National Academy of Sciences
.
Google Scholar
 
Rich, D. L. (
1977
).
Is Random Digit Dialing Really Necessary?
.
Journal of Marketing Research
,
14
,
300
–
305
. 10.2307/3150767
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
Rohatgi, V. K. (
1976
).
An Introduction to Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics
.
New York
:
Wiley
.
Google Scholar
 
Shin, S. (
1974
).
Minjok Munhwa Yeongu So
Korea University
Hankuk Sungssi Ui Gawsul
Hankuk Munhwa Sa Daegye
(pp.
22
–
27
).
Seoul
:
Korea University Press
.
Google Scholar
 
Siegel, J. S. (
1974
).
Estimates of Coverage of the Population by Sex, Race and Age in the 1970 Census
.
Demography
,
11
,
1
–
24
. 10.2307/2060696
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
PubMed
 
Siegel, J. S. (
1975
).
Coverage of Population in the 1970 Census and Some Implications for Public Programs
.
Washington, D.C.
:
U.S. Government Printing Office
.
Google Scholar
 
Siegel, J. S. (
1979
).
Coverage of the Hispanic Population of the United States in the 1970 Census
.
Washington, D.C.
:
U.S. Government Printing Office
.
Google Scholar
 
Sudman, S. (
1966
).
New Uses of Telephone Methods in Survey Research
.
Journal of Marketing Research
,
3
,
163
–
167
. 10.2307/3150205
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
Sudman, S. (
1973
).
The Uses of Telephone Directories for Survey Sampling
.
Journal of Marketing Research
,
10
,
204
–
207
. 10.2307/3149830
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1980
. (
1980
).
Washington, D.C.
:
U.S. Government Printing Office
.
1980 Census of Population. Supplementary Report PC80-51-3: Race of the Population by States: 1980
. (
1981
).
Washington, D.C.
:
U.S. Government Printing Office
.
Statistics of Communications Common Carriers
. (
1980
).
Washington, D.C.
:
U.S. Government Printing Office
.
Wolfte, L. M. (
1979
).
Characteristics of Persons with or without Home Telephones
.
Journal of Marketing Research
,
16
,
421
–
425
. 10.2307/3150718
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
Yu, E. (
1977
).
Koreans in America: An Emerging Ethnic Minority
.
Amerasia
,
4
,
117
–
131
.
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
Yu, E. (
1980
).
Koreans in America: Social and Economic Adjustment
. In Kim, Boyong-Suh, & Lee, San-Hyin (Eds.),
The Korean Immigrants in America
(pp.
75
–
98
).
Montclair, N.J.
:
The Association of Korean Christian Scholars in North America
.
Google Scholar
 
Yu, E. (
1981
).
Koreans in Los Angeles: Size, Distribution and Composition
. In Yu, Eiu-Young, Phillips, Earl H., & Yang, Eun Sik (Eds.),
Koreans in Los Angeles: Prospects and Promises
(pp.
1
–
34
).
Los Angeles
:
Koryo Research Institute and Center for Korean-American and Korean Studies, California State University, Los Angeles
.
Google Scholar
 
© Population Association of America 1984
1984
Issue Section:
Articles