Nonresponse Follow-up Operations Launch Locally. Census Takers Begin Door-to-door Data Collection

 

Residents who have not completed and returned their 2010 Census form will receive a replacement form by April 12. If no form is mailed back by April 22, residents can expect a personal visit from a census taker some time after May 1, 2010. The census taker will ask the questions on the form, record the answers and then submit the form on behalf of the household.

 

If a resident does not speak English, the census taker will show a flashcard with a sentence written in approximately 50 languages including Russian and the resident can point to the language he/she speaks. Later, a census taker who speaks the language will be assigned to visit the address to collect the answers.

 

In most cases, census workers will make initial visits during afternoons, early evenings, and weekends. Workers will identify themselves with a census ID badge that contains a Department of Commerce watermark. The census taker may also be carrying a bag with a Census Bureau logo.  If asked, he or she will provide supervisor contact information and/or the Local Census Office phone number for verification. The census taker will only ask you the questions that appear on the census form. Census takers will never ask for your social security number, bank account number, or credit card number.

 

If census workers are unable to reach a household member in-person, they might attempt contact by phone to arrange an in-person interview.  Census takers will visit each address up to three times and may try to telephone up to three times.  If a resident does not answer, the census taker will leave a door hanger with a number the resident can call to schedule a suitable interview time.

 

The Census Bureau has strict systems in place to ensure that people can feel safe when they open their door to a census taker. All census takers undergo an FBI background check that includes both name and fingerprint checks.  All have taken an oath for life to protect the information they collect, and understand that they face stiff penalties, jail time or both for any disclosure of personally identifiable information.  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. The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment for up to 5 years, or both.

 

For information on NRFU operations, visit 2010census.gov.

The 2010 Census is a count of everyone living in the United States and is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Census data are used to distribute Congressional seats to states, to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds to tribal, state and local governments each year and to make decisions about what community services to provide. The 2010 Census questionnaire will be one of the shortest in U.S. history and consists of 10 questions, taking about 10 minutes to complete. Strict confidentiality laws protect the respondents and the information they provide.