I recently received an invitation letter from the U.S. Census Bureau to fill out the 2020 Census form. I was very eager to see how it works online because this is the first time we can respond to the decennial Census on the internet, in addition to by mail or by phone. My experience with the online form was very positive. The webpage was well designed and easy to navigate. I was able to complete the form for my entire household in less than 10 minutes. And I wasn’t particularly fast. I was sifting through everything very carefully because of my professional interest.
My quick survey of friends and colleagues indicated that almost everyone had received the invitation letter, and many had already responded! While I know this may not be on top of people’s minds, it’s more important than ever to encourage self-response. We know that the Census is vital in many ways, but the current COVID-19 pandemic is threatening its accuracy. The Census Bureau has suspended its field operation for now. They may need to delay or discontinue non-response follow-up visits in the future if the pandemic continues.
The key message for anyone with questions about how COVID-19 will affect the 2020 Census is as follows: It has never been easier to respond on your own, whether online, over the phone, or by mail – all without having to meet a census taker. We encourage everyone to respond as soon as they receive the invitation letter that provides instructions. The more people self-respond, the more accurate the Census will be. These responses will reduce the burden of door-to-door non-response follow-ups in this unprecedented time.
New SEMCOG map: Census 2020 Self-Response Rates
SEMCOG developed a new interactive tool to help communities track self-response rates. This online tool includes a regional map that shows current response rates by county, community, and census tract. The map is linked to a bar chart that is ordered by the response rate. Users can also select interested communities, and even set up a friendly competition with other communities. Also included is the 2010 final self-response rate, so that you can compare the current self-response rate to 2010 for the same area. The tool can be accessed here.
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