By now you should have received your 2020 Census notification information in the mail and it may have made you wonder why certain questions were asked. Here is a breakdown on several of the questions as taken from the 2020census.gov website:
- What is your telephone number?
Why we ask this question: The Census Bureau asks for your phone number in case there are any questions about your census form. We will only contact you for official census business, if needed.
- What is Person 1’s name?
If there is someone living here who pays the rent or owns the residence, start by listing him or her as Person 1. If the owner or the person who pays the rent does not live here, start by listing any adult living there as Person 1. There will be opportunities to list the names of additional members of your household. See more about answering this question ….
Why we ask this question: The Census Bureau asks a series of questions about each member of your household. This allows us to establish one central figure as a starting point.
- What is Person 1’s sex?
Mark ONE box: male or female.
Why we ask this question: This allows us to create statistics about males and females, which can be used in planning and funding government programs. This data can also be used to enforce laws, regulations, and policies against discrimination.
- What is Person 1’s age and what is Person 1’s date of birth?
Note Person 1’s age as of April 1, 2020. For babies less than 1 year old, do not write the age in months. Write 0 as the age.
Why we ask this question: The U.S. Census Bureau creates statistics to better understand the size and characteristics of different age groups. Agencies use this data to plan and fund government programs that support specific age groups, including children and older adults. (Read more about Counting Young Children.)
- Is Person 1 of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin?
NOTE: Please answer both Question 8 about Hispanic origin and Question 9 about race. For this census, Hispanic origins are not races. Hispanic origin can be viewed as the heritage, nationality, lineage, or country of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors before arriving in the United States. People who identify as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish may be any race.
Why we ask this question: These responses help create statistics about this ethnic group. This helps federal agencies monitor compliance with anti-discrimination provisions, such as those in the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act.
- What is Person 1’s race?
Mark one or more boxes AND print origins: White; Black or African American; American Indian or Alaska Native; Chinese; Filipino; Asian Indian; Vietnamese; Korean; Japanese; other Asian; Native Hawaiian; Samoan; Chamorro; other Pacific Islander; some other race. See more about answering this question ….
Why we ask this question: This allows us to create statistics about race and to analyze other statistics within racial groups. This data helps federal agencies monitor compliance with anti-discrimination provisions, such as those in the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act.
The breakdown for Questions 1 through 4 were posted on The Decatur Minute last week and the remaining questions will be posted next week.
And as a reminder, here are the things that the Census Bureau will never ask you:
- Your Social Security number.
- Money or donations.
- Anything on behalf of a political party.
- Your bank or credit card account numbers.
Additionally, there is no citizenship question on the 2020 Census.
