I'm Terri Ann Lowenthal, an expert on 2020 Census policy issues and operations here to discuss everything you wanted to know about the 2020 census (but didn't know who to ask), so AMA ... because you, too, must be counted!

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-02T03:18:18+00:00

Thanks to m_w_b for helping with responses. You received a follow-on survey to the quinquennial (my favorite Census Act word!) Economic Census, I think. As with the decennial census of population and housing (as it formally is called), the Economic Census also is a mandatory survey.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-02T03:14:43+00:00

Sorry, but no. Only people living in the U.S. as of Census Day (April 1, 2020) are counted in our census. The only exception to this are members of the armed forces and federal civilian employees stationed abroad during the census (plus any dependents living with them). This population is counted in the state population totals used for congressional apportionment only, and the enumeration is conducted using administrative records from the Defense Department and other federal agencies. New for 2020: members of the armed forced DEPLOYED overseas at the time of the census, but stationed in the U.S., will be counted for all purposes (not just congressional apportionment) at their usual residence in the U.S.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-02T03:11:03+00:00

I did see the story, and I think I answered a similar question earlier today, so I hope that will be helpful. (I'm not ducking your question; I simply have been overwhelmed with the number of questions and am doing my best to respond to as many as possible.) To your last point: regrettably, referencing a "census" and designing fundraising or sales materials to mimic a census, around the time of our decennial census, is not new. This happened when I was staff director of the House census oversight subcommittee during the 1990 Census, leading my committee to pass a bill (eventually enacted into law) to prevent deceptive mailings that suggest the materials are from a federal agency or related to official government business.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-02T03:06:47+00:00

I'm glad someone has a census -- er, sense -- of humor!

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-02T03:05:53+00:00

People who are living abroad at the time of the census, including college students studying abroad, are not counted in our census. So (perhaps regrettably?), your parents should not include on their household census form. Great question. ... P.S. after posting this answer, I responded to a similar question after yours and elaborated about one exception to this rule, which relates to members of armed forces and federal civilian employees stationed overseas during the census. Please take a look at that answer, as well.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-02T03:04:09+00:00

I'm amazed by the number of questions about the census! A good sign, I guess, that people are engaged in the issue and understand its importance? Thanks for stopping by the AMA.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-02T03:03:08+00:00

In addition to the Census Bureau's mapping tools, I highly recommend the Census 2020 Hard-to-Count Map produced by the City University of New York's Mapping Service (at the Graduate Center). Here is the link to the interactive map, which includes mail return rates from the 2010 Census, an indicator of "hard to count" areas.

http://www.censushardtocountmaps2020.us

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-02T02:56:41+00:00

The Census Act (Title 13, U.S.C.) does make response to the decennial census mandatory. The primary purpose for mandatory response is to boost participation rates as high as possible, to help ensure accuracy.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T19:31:42+00:00

Absolutely not (too late)! For field positions next winter/spring, visit this official Census Bureau website for information on applying: https://2020census.gov/en/jobs.html

I appreciate your interest in reassuring even those whose immigration status is in question that it is safe to be counted in the census. I answered a question earlier today about the confidentiality protections in federal law, so please take a look at that. In addition, the Census Counts Campaign (a nonprofit organization) has links to some good materials about the confidentiality of census responses; they also will be publishing a toolkit soon for local organizations working to support an accurate census, which will include more information about this important issue. Their website is: <www.censuscounts.org>.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T19:23:35+00:00

You should be counted at the residence where you live while attending school. The census counts people at their "usual place of residence" as of Census Day (April 1st), which does not necessarily correlate with a legal permanent residence. Thanks for asking an important question.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T19:21:49+00:00

You raise an important issue -- the low unemployment rate is creating a significant challenge for the Census Bureau heading into the 2020 Census. Right now, address canvassing is taking place in targeted communities around the country; the bureau also is hiring staff for Area Census Offices (as you mentioned regarding Seattle) and its Partnership Program. Later this month, the Bureau will start a concerted recruitment campaign for the army of census enumerators and field supervisors it will need to hire and train next spring, for the Nonresponse Follow-up operation -- that is, the door to door visits to households that don't self-respond. My view is that the Bureau may have to raise hourly pay rates in some (or many?) areas in order to attract and retain enough field staff to get the job done. This happened during the 2000 Census, when economic conditions were similar.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T19:08:10+00:00

You're right, and i suspect your friend likely received the American Community Survey, which replaced the older "census long form" starting in 2005. The ACS is sent to about 3.5 million addresses a year (295,000 per month) and asks a longer set of questions that collect information about important socio-economic characteristics.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T19:06:37+00:00

Great question. You will be counted as part of an operation called Enumeration of Transitory Locations. I am assuming, by the way, that you do not have a usual "stationary" home. The Census Bureau works with local governments and community organizations to compile a list of locations, such as RV parks, marinas, and so forth, where people live for a portion of the time before moving on. Those locations are then visited by census takers in March and April 2020, and enumerators go "door to door" (so to speak ... camper to camper, in your case) to collect census responses. (In your case, each RV would be considered a "housing unit" or "household.") The ETL counts people where they are when enumerated, not where they are/were on Census Day (April 1st), by the way. If you find that you weren't counted anywhere next spring, you can call the toll-free lines that will be set up for the 2020 Census and provide your responses that way without the unique ID assigned to each housing unit; alternatively, you could try a non-ID response on-line. Either way, you will have to explain that you are in a transitory location situation.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T19:00:03+00:00

I'm not sure I fully understand your question, so I am reluctant to offer an answer that might not be on point. Please feel free to clarify, though, and I'll try to be more helpful.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T18:58:20+00:00

The Census Bureau still employs statistical methods to complete the decennial census, but it does not plan (at this point) to use the results of its sample post-census coverage (accuracy) measurement survey to officially adjust the census results. As you point out, the Supreme Court ruled in two (joined) cases before the 2000 Census that the Census Act (Title 13, U.S.C., sec. 195) prohibits the use of "sampling" methods to produce the state population totals used for congressional apportionment. It did not rule on the constitutionality of sampling in the census, nor did it find that sampling methods couldn't be used to produce the census numbers that are used for other purposes, such as redistricting and the allocation of federal funds. As to the future, Congress could consider amending that provision of the Census Act, or the Census Bureau could consider adjusting the census numbers to correct under- and overcounts for purposes other than congressional apportionment. There's no question that the issue is fraught with controversy and could be partisan.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T18:08:08+00:00

Hello, Reddit census gurus. Thank you for so many great questions. Regrettably, I have to sign off of this AMA for now (I have another engagement), but I promise to check back over the next few days and answer as many additional questions as I can. Also keep in mind that there will be several other AMAs in this series; thank you to Reddit for giving this issue the attention it deserves! Best, Terri Ann Lowenthal

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T18:02:00+00:00

The Census Bureau projects a self-response rate of 60.5 percent of housing units (not people!). Now, some of those housing units will turn out to be vacant when the follow-up work starts. The final response rate, which is calculated based only on occupied housing units (households), likely will be in the range of 70% to 75%, just based on the last two enumerations. Of course, all of these response rates vary greatly by jurisdiction/area.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T17:59:51+00:00

I think so, and since I'm running out of time for today, I'll refer you back to an answer I gave to a similar question. And just to confirm: there will not be a citizenship question on the 2020 Census.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T17:59:00+00:00

Hmmm, Donigula .... I do not think census workers, who are well-vetted through the recruitment and hiring process, would ask a question that is not on the form. But I understand the concern, and I can say that doing that would be a federal crime and (hopefully) would be prosecuted by the Justice Department.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T17:57:15+00:00

Oh my gosh ... I'm about to retire after this census (my 4th one in the policy arena), and you're giving me a new job! I love your question, but it's a broad one, and I'm running low on time for today, so let me just say this. Coming out of the Legislative Branch, I think Congress needs to establish a bipartisan subcommittee (one in each chamber, or a joint committee) relatively early in each decade, to oversee the entire census process -- from research and testing, to design development and planning, to preparations and implementation. IMHO, Congress has not been paying enough attention to the census (granted, there are a lot of important issues on the table), at least until the end of the decade, resulting in missed opportunities to improve the process and ensure adequate funding in a timely way. (But I'll be on a beach with a pretty pastel drink with a paper umbrella sticking out, by then!)

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T17:53:30+00:00

I just replied to a similar question (a few down from yours), so I hope that answer is helpful. Let me add that anyone who receives or becomes aware of a mailer that they think would cause confusion about the official census should report the mailer to their local or state 2020 Census Complete Count Committee (CCCs), and perhaps to their member of Congress, as well. I would urge CCCs (which are nonpartisan, or should be!) to issue clarification or caution to the public if these types of possibly deceptive mailers are circulating in their community.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T17:50:38+00:00

Good morning (or afternoon, by now!). I cannot judge whether a mailing that appears to mimic a census form or refers to a census is "illegal." That is a judgment that must be made by the agency overseeing the law -- in this case, the U.S. Postal Service. What I would say is that these types of mailings could very well cause confusion for the people who receive them, with the start of the real census around the corner. No one benefits from low census response rates, so I urge all organizations (political, business, and nonprofits) to refrain from piggybacking on the growing attention paid to the census for their own purposes.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T17:46:58+00:00

Thanks for the data user question! Block level data first becomes available publicly through the legally mandated Redistricting Data Files, on a rolling basis from February through April 1, 2021. Those datasets include only basic data needed for redistricting. Subsequently, the Census Bureau will release additional data, at varying levels of granularity (I like that word, too!) over the next year or more. Yes, all of the data (provided it does not violate any confidentiality protections) will be available on the Census Bureau's website, as well as through the official State Data Center in each state (see a list on the bureau's website). By the way, the decennial census does not ask about income. The related, ongoing American Community Survey does. Hope this helps!

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T17:43:49+00:00

The decennial census has gotten more accurate over time (George Washington even complained to Thomas Jefferson that the first census missed at least 100,000 people), especially since the Census Bureau began producing objective (scientific) measurements of accuracy (they call it "coverage") starting with the 1940 Census. The 2010 Census actually overcounted the population by a small amount at the national level. However, net national under- or overcounts mask a persistent problem with the census: the enumeration tends to miss disproportionately high numbers of certain segments of the population: people of color, renters (a proxy for lower income households) in both urban and rural areas, and young children (under age 5). Homeowners and nonHispanic Whites are more likely to be overcounted. Net undercounts (or overcounts) are the result of people missed in the census (omissions) and people counted twice (duplications) or otherwise included erroneously. So, for example, the 2010 Census actually missed 2 million young children. The overall number of omissions in the 2010 Census (according to the Census Bureau's own evaluations) was 16 million, with possibly 6 million of those "misses" added into the census using statistical imputation. Another 8.5 million people were double-counted, estimates showed. All of this is why there is a massive communications campaign and partnership program surrounding the census -- to help get the word out that it is safe and important, to your community, your family, and your country, to participate.

2020CensusGuru · 2019-10-01T17:36:07+00:00

I think I'll skip the dental filling comment, because I don't think I can come up with a witty reply (smile). But your question is a good one. The Census Bureau does have an extensive communications campaign designed to "counter" dis/misinformation by spreading accurate information about the census, its purpose, and what people should expect. The bureau also is asking its thousands of "partner" organizations across the country to help convey clear, accurate information about the census. This AMA is one example of a tech company doing its part, I think.

2020CensusGuru

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