[Durham INC] Help complete Census 2020

[Pat Carstensen]

Folks following up on Census 2020 are starting to go door-to-door to try to capture information about people who haven't yet responded in Census.  Even if you responded, someone may come to your door asking you to be a "proxy" about a house near you.

  *   Even if you don't know much about who lived at the house they are asking you to be a "proxy" for, it will help immensely if you can just verify the address and say how many people seemed to be staying at the house on April 1st (that is, about the time everything shut down with coronavirus).  You can also say things like "Person 1 was about 50 years old."
  *   All census workers will have badges, masks, and a big, black shoulder bag that says "Census 2020" (or something like that) in large white letters.
  *   If you are uncomfortable standing outside in the heat (understandable) or just talking to someone (even with a mask, standing 6 feet away), you can stand at a window and talk to the census worker over a phone.
  *   The number of people working for the Census is a lot fewer than they wanted, so anything folks can do along their social networks to get contacts to respond on line or over the phone will be very helpful.
  *   Folks are supposed to be counted where they were mostly living and sleeping on Census Day (April 1st), so students who were at college should be counted there, for example.
  *   The Census Bureau does everything it can to keep the data it collects secure.  If you are still concerned, you can respond with information about Person1, Person2, etc. at your house.

NC was 35th among the 50 states in its response.  If you want to see response by census tract, with a comparison to 2010, Carolina Demography has made it available: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E2S222VKESPKAylgyvCMitePFjutOrh-/view

Some reasons to be helpful to the Census:

  *   There is a 3.5-page list of every program the Census affects, with a total of (if I remember correctly) almost $700B.  In some cases (roads, for example), the distributions to each jurisdiction is based on population. In other cases, the federal share depends on average income, so a bigger population makes the average income go down, sometimes enough the feds to pay a higher % of the costs.  The full report:  https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/program-management/working-papers/Uses-of-Census-Bureau-Data-in-Federal-Funds-Distribution.pdf<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/program-management/working-papers/Uses-of-Census-Bureau-Data-in-Federal-Funds-Distribution.pdf__;!!OToaGQ!-1CIrTJS-DNefGrJcFl-ky7-qh0FhMQe03NAVQXwrfANsanL9EK0DZMVVIQ74w$>
  *   There are also state programs that distribute funds based on population.  Our delegation works hard to get state spending on good programs, but we need to be counted to get our share.
  *   Some businesses look at census data in order to plan expansion.
  *   I have enjoyed looking at 100-year-old census records to find out something about where my ancestors were living.
  *   Last, but certainly not least, we don't know who will control redistricting next year, but the larger the population of Durham is, the better our representation will be.

In summary,

  *   If you sent in your census information, thank you.  If not, it's important that you do so.
  *   Spread the word on social media about why you think the census is important.
  *   If someone asks you to be a "proxy," please do so.

Thanks, pat

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