Census Notes

The entire Saint Paul Library system has been designated as Questionnaire Assistance Centers and we are so listed on the census’s web site.  What this means is that we have said that we will help people fill out their census forms.

We should always make it clear that we are not Census Bureau employees.

There will be three ways to answer the census:

• ·     Online at 2020Census.gov
• ·     On the phone—the number is not yet available (for security reasons they say)
• ·      Filling out a paper form and mailing it in the post paid envelop provided.

The online form will be active from March 1^st – July 31^st.

At first, most people will only receive an invitation to fill out the census.  This invitation will be specific to the address and will contain a number that they will enter into the census form.  Some people will receive a paper form instead. Both of these forms will be specific to the address it is sent to.  The library, therefore, will not have blank paper forms available.

The address to go to start the online form is 2020Census.gov.  There will no doubt be scam sites set up, so don’t use Google to find the site, but enter this address directly into the browser.  This will also be the go-to site for any questions that come up.

There is no citizenship question.

The only people who will have access to the raw data are Census Bureau employees.  Everyone else will only have access to aggregate data—numbers for a particular group of zip codes.  The raw data will be unavailable for 72 years.

In past census years, there were short forms and long forms.  For this census there is only the short form.

The online census is available in 13 languages—the desired language can be selected at the top of the census page.  These languages will also be available for the phone census.  Significantly, these languages do not include Hmong or Somali.  For these languages there are printable guides to answering the form.

Reasons for answering the census and making sure you are counted:

• ·         Federal House of Representatives districts are allotted by the census.  Minnesota is projected to “probably” lose a House seat, but if there is a significant undercount this will happen for sure.
• ·         State Senate and House districts are also drawn on the basis of the census.
• ·         15 billion dollars of Federal money comes to Minnesota based on our census numbers.  If there is an undercount, that money will be less.
• ·         $2.7 million dollars comes to the state for public libraries, so we have a stake in making sure everyone is counted.
• ·         Minnesota state government also uses census numbers to allocate moneys.  If your area is undercounted, the money your area should have gotten will go to another area that was better counted.
• ·         Businesses and other organizations also use census data to make decisions, such as where to put stores and provide services.
• Only one person per address should answer the census.  It would probably be a good idea, before beginning the process, to ask the person if they have all the needed information.  That is, at a minimum, the ages, birthdates, and race of everyone living at the address.

The actual census day is April 1^st.  This means the questions should be answered based on where people are living on that day.  There are, of course, exceptions.  The census answers should be based on where the person will be living most of the year.  For example, if a person is on vacation on April 1^st, the answers should be based on where they live most of the time.  For children that live in two different places in a year, the answers should be based on where they live most of the time during the year.  If it is 50/50, then the answers should be based on where they will be living on April 1^st.

The online census must be answered in one sitting.  If the form is not submitted, and the person signs off of the computer, all the entered information will be lost.  If there is no movement of the mouse for 13 minutes, the program will time out and they will need to begin anew.

Once the census response has been submitted, it cannot be edited.  If something changes (for example, a baby that was supposed to arrive after April 1^st comes early, you may be able to call the census number and have them update the information.  (The presenters thought this will be the case, but weren’t positive.)

While the form has a number of questions, the only ones that are mandatory and must be answered are age, date of birth, and race for each person in the household.  All other questions are answered at the discretion of the person answering the census.  There will be a “soft” warning that some items on a page have been left blank for these questions, but the respondent will be able to click through it without answering the question.

Note that it is suggested, but not required, to enter names.  You will need a unique answer for each person in the household, but you can enter nicknames, or any other term that will allow the person answering the census to remember who is who.  For example: “Individual 1, Individual 2, and so on” are valid answers.

Sex is another question that is not required to answer, if the person chooses not to.

While you can assist the person in answering the questions, you cannot provide the answers for them.  The census is “self-determining.”  This means that the person answering the census provides the answers as they see fit.  While you can explain what the information being requested is, do not, in any case, tell the person what they “should” answer.

You can, if need be, type or write in the answers for the person, but again, the answers are to be provided by the respondent themselves.

People can use our Wi-Fi to answer the census if they wish.

Questionnaire Assistance Center training video:

Questionnaire Assistance Center information page.

--Ron P. @GLCL with links from Erin Z.R.