2010 Census Partner Update – April 22, 2010

 

 

Hello, 2010 Census Partners,

 

Below is some important information from our website regarding the next stages of conducting the 2010 Census.  I want to thank you for your continued partnership as we move from the “Mailback Stage” to the “Non-Response Follow-Up” stage of the 2010 Census.  It’s not finished yet!  Please continue to help people understand the value of their participation.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jesse Selness

Partnership Specialist, US Census Bureau

Jesse.D.Selness@census.gov

(215) 767-7119

 

 

The Next Stage – Non-Response Follow-Up

 

By being counted you are standing up for what your community's needs are. That's why census takers are so important. A census taker is a person from your community who is hired by the Census Bureau to make sure that your neighborhood gets represented as accurately as possible. The census taker's primary responsibility is to collect census information from residences. Most of these residences have not sent back their 2010 Census form.

The Census Bureau provides the census taker with a binder containing all of the addresses that didn't send back a filled out census for.

Starting on May 1, the census taker then visits all of those addresses and records the answers to the questions on the form.

If no one answers at a particular residence, a census taker will contact that home up to six times, leaving a door hanger featuring a phone number; residents can call the number on the hanger to schedule the visit.

The census taker will ONLY ask the questions that appear on the census form.

 

Do I have to talk to the census taker?

 

Yes. Your participation in the 2010 Census is vital and required by law, (Section 221, of Title 13 of the U.S. Code). However, rather than rely on criminal charges, the Census Bureau is very successful in getting participation by explaining the importance of the questions we ask and how the information benefits our communities.

Your privacy and confidentiality is our priority:

The census taker who collects your information is sworn for life to protect your data under Federal Law Title 13. Those who violate the oath face criminal penalties: Under federal law, the penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment for up to 5 years, or both.

 

If a census taker visits you, here's what you should do:

 

·         First ask to see their ID. All census workers carry official government badges marked with just their name; they may also have a "U.S. Census Bureau" bag.

·         Note that the census taker will never ask to enter your home.

·         If you're still not certain about their identity, please call the Philadelphia Regional Census Center at (215) 717-1020 to confirm they are employed by the Census Bureau.

·         Answer the census form questions for your entire household (you must be at least 15 years old to answer questions) so that the census taker can record the results for submission to the Census Bureau.

Census takers visit local homes several times to capture resident information for the 2010 Census. If you prefer, you can schedule a visit with your census taker. Should the census taker come when you are away from your home, they will leave a contact number. If a census taker has not visited your home or you have a question about your participation with the census, call a Telephone Questionnaire Assistance Center (see information below).

 

Help for non-English speaking respondents

Census takers will have a flashcard containing a sentence about the 2010 Census written in approximately 50 languages. If a resident doesn't speak English, the census taker shows the flashcard to the resident, and the resident points to the language he/she speaks. A census Crew Leader will then reassign the case to a person who speaks that language.

 

Telephone Questionnaire Assistance

 

If you have any questions, or would like to complete the questionnaire via telephone, please call a Telephone Questionnaire Assistance center.  This service is available from April 22 to July 30 in the following languages:

 

ENGLISH                1-866-872-6868

CHINESE               1-866-935-2010

KOREAN               1-866-955-2010

RUSSIAN              1-866-965-2010 

SPANISH              1-866-928-2010

VIETNAMESE      1-866-945-2010