The Constitution mandates that the US conduct a Census every 10 years to obtain an accurate count of all RESIDENTS (not citizens) present on 4/1. The Census 2020 is completely ONLINE for the first time! Every household in the US will be mailed a special code that you will use to log on and fill out the survey.
Back to the Census: Census data is primarily used to determine how the population is represented in Congress. It tracks population growth and determines how many seats in Congress an area will receive. These seats are proportionate to population which insures we preserve a strong democracy. If people do not participate, the first repercussion we will feel in 2021 is that we may not have accurate representation. Florida almost certainly will add seats and have more elections. That is good for us because we have more people fighting for Florida.
But there is much more to it. Census data is utilized for other important and, arguably, life-impacting, decisions at the federal, state and local levels and these decisions involve long-term planning (read $$$). For example, Census data are key to population projections – and these trends are used to allocate future funds to build new roads, for example. They are also used to build and MAINTAIN existing schools, hospitals and especially federally qualified health centers (such as Tampa Family Health Centers or Suncoast Community Health). If you know anyone on Medicare or Medicaid, Census data also play a role in helping to determine plans to help “special populations” such as the deaf, elderly, disabled and the very young. Also, depending on your age now, think about it. There will be no Census until 2030. This Census has to meet the populations’ needs for 10 years — and beyond.
Are you convinced how important it is yet? In fact, the George Washington University analyzed the worth and impact of the Census. Check it out: “In FY2016, Florida received $44,193,384,025.00 through 55 federal spending programs guided by data derived from the 2010 Census.” If you’d like to read more, I’ve made it easy. Click Here.
So, why am I writing this? Because we stand to lose so much!
I conducted a small focus group with a multicultural group of parents. What I found was eye-opening: most of them were not here in Hillsborough County in 2010. Some did not remember participating anywhere — ever. This is not surprising, given that there are large areas that suffer undercounts or very low counts. The Census has a cool interactive tool called the Response Area Outreach Mapper – ROAM – where you can even look up your area and see the completion rates: https://www.census.gov/roam.
Undercounts can happen anywhere but they don’t. They reflect our history and complex society with regional variations. However, no state is immune from undercounts. They are mainly in pockets of minority populations, the south-east, south-west and large parts of California. The group that is LEAST likely to be counted is children. Of that group, Latino/Hispanic children are the least counted. What our parent focus group revealed was that they thought only US citizens “had to” fill it out, they doubt they will fill it out because they do not trust the government and they don’t know how they are supposed to do it.
When I shared these findings with various organizations last month, no one was surprised. In fact, we all agreed that obtaining a “complete count” in 2020 is going to require innovation, dedication and hard work. And, let’s be honest, the stakes are high if we do not get serious about helping to educate and motivate the majority of people who really need to be counted, such as the special populations but also the newer generations. We could lose funding for Medicare, which would affect hospitals, local schools, crime assistance, non-profits (like FICS) and even things like getting the potholes fixed.
