Currently the Census Bureau is preparing workers to go door-to-door to collect data from households who did not return their questionnaire before April 17.
If this third of the nation includes you, expect a visit in May, June or July.
If you never received a form and want to participate, this may be a relief. On the other hand, you may say, “Oh, goody – an interruption.” Or –“Ech, now I have to worry about my privacy.” Or – “Gadzooks – MUST I?”
Here are your answers.
Yes, you must. The decennial census is mandated by constitutional law and the Census Bureau is determined to count all of us, once and in the right place. The resulting statistics guarantee fair representation at the federal, state and local level and drives decisions about and funding for services and programs affecting our housing, parks, schools, roads, emergency services, energy and water systems, healthcare and elder support.
For each person not counted, our community will lose between $1,500 and $2,900 per year over the next decade, so participating is required AND important.
Talking with a census enumerator may represent an interruption but consider this: each household that did not mail in a form costs between $25 and $100 to count. Welcome the census worker or follow the instructions on the notice he or she leaves you and minimize that amount.
Enumerators will attempt contact with your household six times. If they fail, they talk to a neighbor to collect your information. Which feels more private – answering 10 “top line” questions with a professional who has taken a life long oath to protect your confidentiality or knowing that someone in your neighborhood shared their perceptions of your household?
Still concerned? You will provide your age, gender, ethnicity, phone number, whether your home is owned or rented, how many people lived under your roof as of April 1, 2010, and their relationships, ages, genders and ethnicity.
Safe from release to any agency or person for 72 years per Title 44 of the US Code, this year a court case challenging Title 44 proved that not even the Patriot Act can force the Census Bureau to divulge your information before that.
So check that enumerator’s identification, provide ONLY the information listed above and then, smile! With that 10-minute investment, you’ve safely helped your community move forward into this decade!
For more information visit www.census2010.gov.
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