Why am I Being Contacted by The Census Bureau – I Returned my Form!

A message from The Director’s Blog

May 24, 2010 12:45 PM

Some questions are coming in from folks who completed and mailed back their census forms, but are being visited by census workers in person, or receiving a phone call from the US Census Bureau. It might be a good time to go over the different reasons this might be happening. (All of the reasons are variants of attempts to make sure we’ve counted people once and only once and in the right place, their April 1, 2010, usual residence.) We use two ways of contacting people -- face to face visits and telephone calls.

Here are some reasons why you might get a knock on the door:

1. We received your mailed-in form too late to scratch your unit off the list of addresses to visit. (Since some forms get lost in transit, we train our enumerators to ask the census questions at every door they’re assigned; please be patient with this request).
2. There was missing or conflicting information on the form we received. (We want to make sure the information we collect from your household is complete and correct.)
3. We can’t match the address you provided on a “Be Counted” form or over the phone to our master address list. (We send the enumerator to you to make sure all information in properly attached to the right housing unit).

If we are uncertain about any of the answers your household provided on the census, we may call to get a better understanding of the situation and ensure we get an accurate count.

Here are a few reasons why you may receive a telephone call from the US Census Bureau:

1. If the number given for how many people were living at the address on April 1 does not match the number of people for whom information was provided.
2. If the form indicates that additional people were staying at the address on April 1 but were not included in the household’s count.
3. If we suspect we have received duplicate information about a housing unit or individual, we will follow-up to make sure people are not counted twice.

You can confirm that the individual calling is really from the Census Bureau by running through this checklist.

I’d like to thank all of the households who have responded to the census takers who have already visited them in person or received a call from the Census Bureau. If you haven’t yet received a call or visit – but do so in the next few weeks – please be kind to our census enumerators and answer their questions. This assures your household is part of the 2010 Census.

This message was copied from The Director’s Blog at http://blogs.census.gov/2010census/.
Use this URL to subscribe to updates about the 2010 Census: https://subscriptions.census.gov/service/subscribe.html?code=USCENSUS_6.

2010 Census Road Tour Comes to Ohio State University

from the U.S. Census Bureau:

What:
The 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour is part of the largest civic outreach and awareness campaign in U.S. history — stopping and exhibiting at more than 800 events nationwide. From local parades and festivals to major sporting events, the Road Tour will attempt to motivate America’s growing and increasingly diverse population to complete and mail back the 10-question census form.

Traveling for a total of 1,547 days and more than 150,000 miles across the country, 13 road tour vehicles will provide the public with an educational, engaging and interactive experience that brings the 2010 Census to life.

At each event across the country, attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the 2010 Census and understand the benefits a complete count can bring to communities everywhere; view a sample 2010 Census form and learn how the collected information is used; and contribute stories and photos to the Portrait of America project to explain why “I count!” and view messages from other road tour participants.


When:
Tuesday, April 6, 2 to 5 p.m. (EDT)


Who:
Kevin Boyce, state treasurer and Ohio Complete Count Committee chairman
Ben Anthony, Ohio State undergraduate student government president
Rimar Villasenor, Ohio State director for government relations


Where:
Wexner Center for the Arts, North Plaza
1871 North High Street
Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio 43210

For more information about the 2010 Census and the Road Tour, please visit 2010census.gov and follow us on Twitter (@2010Portrait), Facebook, MySpace, Flickr and YouTube (/uscensusbureau).

March to the Mailbox

From Brent Warren (brent.e.warren@census.gov):

Please let me know if you know of any groups or individuals interested in volunteering for a small block of time on Saturday, April 10. As part of our national March to the Mailbox campaign, we will be holding special community-outreach events in low-responding neighborhoods throughout the city. These will be fun, high-energy events (like parades, rallies, walks, or marches) in which we elevate the message that it is not too late to mail back the household form. Here is more information, please contact me if you are interested in participating or if you know someone who is!

http://2010.census.gov/partners/pdf/toolkit_M2M_Overview.pdf

Thanks again,
Brent Warren
Partnership Specialist
US Census Bureau
614-352-8277
2010census.gov

Census's Take 10 Map helps you find forms and answers to your Census questions

If you didn't receive a census form, not to worry--use the Census's Take 10 Map! This interactive Google map helps answer three questions you may have:

• Where do I get a census form if I didn't get one in the mail? Answer: if you didn't get a census form in the mail, you need to fill out a Be Counted form. To get one, visit the nearest Be Counted Site, which can be found on the Census's Take 10 Map (click "Find a Questionnaire Assistance Center").
• Where do I go if I need help filling out my census form? Answer: the nearest Questionnaire Assistance Center! Find it using the Census's Take 10 Map.
• Are people in my area mailing back their census forms? Since it costs about $57 dollars every time a census taker pays someone a visit, mailing back your census form saves taxpayer money! Find out how well your community is doing by using--you guessed it--the Census's Take 10 Map! (Click "View Participation Rates")

Communities Working To Inform Citizens About the Importance of the 2010 Census

From Regional eSource (MORPC's e-newsletter):

With 2010 Census forms starting to arrive in area mailboxes, and the official Census Day less than a month away, there’s never been a better time for community leaders to remind their constituents to fill out and mail back their Census form. This year’s Census, a vital national survey that affects the allocation of billions of federal dollars, takes only 10 minutes to complete.

Communities throughout the region are working hard to inform their residents about the importance of participating in the Census. In Franklin County alone, communities such as Bexley, Canal Winchester, Dublin, Gahanna, Grandview Heights, Grove City, Lockbourne, Marble Cliff, Minerva Park, New Albany, Obetz, Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington and Whitehall are hanging posters in their public buildings and spreading the word about the Census on their websites and in newsletters.

Most households will receive a questionnaire after the week of March 15 and residents are expected to fill it out immediately and send it back using the pre-stamped envelope.

If your community needs help obtaining Census promotional items, or has other Census-related questions, MORPC's staff can help. Please contact Amelia Costanzo.

Does your community know how they will get their questionnaire in March?

From the Ohio Complete Count Committee:

TYPES OF ENUMERATION

The Census Bureau will be delivering questionnaires to over 130 million households, whether in person or through the mail. Most households will receive a questionnaire after the week of March 15 and residents are expected to fill it out immediately and send it back using the pre-stamped envelope.

Roughly one percent of the nation’s population will require a census worker to leave a questionnaire at a housing unit since they are mainly rural areas without street names and/or house numbers. Residents are also expected to fill out the questionnaire and mail it back.

If your residents in community may receive a hand-deliver questionnaire, increase their awareness with door-to-door outreach and provide these tips to help them identify a census bureau worker.

Each will:

• Present an ID Badge which contains: photograph of field representative, Department of Commerce watermark, and expiration date.
• Provide you with supervisor contact information and/or the regional office phone number for verification, if asked.
• Provide you with a letter from the director of the Census Bureau on U.S. Census Bureau letterhead.
• May be carrying a laptop and/or bag with a Census Bureau logo.

Call your Local Census Office to find out how your community will receive the 2010 Census: http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs/how-to-apply/local-office-map.php

BENEFITS TO A HIGH RESPONSE RATE

• About $85 million is saved for every one percent increase in mail participation.
• The Census Bureau saves $60-$70 per census form that is returned by mail.
• High mail participation rates reduce the number of census workers who must go door-to-door to collect census data.

The Ohio Complete Count Committee (http://www.census.ohio.gov/) may be reached at 614.466.2116 or at Census.Ohio@development.ohio.gov.

CRP Data Byte No. 5 explores 200 years of Ohio’s history through census data and highlights the importance of the upcoming 2010 Census

From frontier state to modern society: a census history of Ohio

Community Research Partners today released Census 2010: Celebrating 200 Years of the Census in Ohio, which analyzes data for Ohio from the 1810, 1860, 1910, 1960, and 2000 censuses and the 2008 American Community Survey. In 1810, Ohio had 230,760 people, with 55% under age 16 and over 99% who were white. "Spirits distilled" was the top manufacturing category in product value. The last 200 years have seen Ohio transition from rural to urban to suburban development patterns and from agriculture to manufacturing to services economies. Ohio has grown more populous and older, with 11.5 million residents in 2008 who had a median age of 38.2 years. The state is more diverse than ever, with African Americans at 12% of the population and fast-growing Hispanic and Asian populations that each nearly doubled from 1990 to 2008.

This Data Byte is a part of CRP’s activities to help promote the 2010 Census. In March 2010, the Census Bureau will mail census forms to households to count every U.S. resident. Most households will receive forms in the middle of the month. Census data will help determine the allocation of $400 billion annually in federal funding for infrastructure, schools, public services, and other community investments. The results will also affect the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. For more information on the 2010 Census, visit http://2010.census.gov/.