Census 2020: The Count Starts Now

Census 2020: The Count Starts Now
November 10, 2016

Bob Tracy, Director
Public Policy & Communication
Arturo Vargas,
Executive Director
Joan Naymark,
Executive Director

The importance of the Census & ACS
Bob Tracy, Minnesota Council on Foundations
How it works and what’s changing
Joan Naymark, Minnesotans for the American Community Survey
Getting involved
Joan Naymark & Bob Tracy
Getting to work and getting it right.
Arturo Vargas, National Association of Latino Elected Officials – Education Fund
Discussion / Q&A

THE IMPORTANCE OF
THE CENSUS & ACS
Bob Tracy, Director
Public Policy & Communication

Promote inclusion and equity
through full participation in the
decennial Census and American
Community Survey to ensure fair
representation and allocation of
resources, and access to complete
and reliable data to support
community engagement, planning
and economic development.

HOW IT WORKS AND
WHAT’S CHANGING
Joan Naymark,
Executive Director

Decennial Count -- from 1790 to present
• Short form and long-form questions through 2000
• Short form only in 2010
American Community Survey
(The new long-form)
• Conducted & published
annually since 2005
• Most recent data available for 2015 – TIMELY!!
• Only source of detailed information on income,
occupation, education/skills, veterans, housing, health
insurance, and much more
Decennial Census Has Two Parts

The Census Has Evolved ! ! !
• 1790 - Federal marshals on horseback
counted the population for the first
census.
• Census has evolved to count the growing
and changing
population.
• Census methods continue
to evolve: computers
and punch cards, mail
response, etc.
• 2020 Census will be the first to offer an
internet response option.

Goals
To count everyone once, only
once, and in the right place
At a cost no higher than the
2010 census . . . while
maintaining high quality

What Does This Mean for Minnesota?
• Internet response option – projected to be nearly 50% of all responses
• Without broadband, Greater Minnesota will need to rely more on mail and
phone options.
• Higher costs to count the population in MN as a result, more non-response
follow-up with census enumerators, more burden on households,
continuation of the differential undercount.
• Language assistance centers – more languages is a plus.
• Partnership effort provides options for local groups
• Local “trusted voices” make sure everyone knows that responding to the
census important and safe
• Engage early to “get out the count”.
• Complete Count Committees will begin to be formed in the year before
Census Day April 1, 2020

Complications: Feds Not Coming Through with the Funding
Without adequate and timely funding
Census 2020 and the ACS are at risk:
• Higher costs (+$5 B more than
necessary)
• Inadequate testing resulting in
lower quality data
• Loss of data products
• Data security risks
• Less confidence in the data
“Census won’t be fair and
accurate without funding.”
Final 2017
Census
Bureau
Funding
Decisions
Loom

GETTING INVOLVED
Joan Naymark
Bob Tracy

Federal
• Policy to implement 2020
• Appropriations
• Beyond 2020 – ACS & 2030
State
• Tech prep
• Mobilization – communication plan and
implementation

Mobilizing full 2020 Census participation
Advocacy Community Philanthropy

Activities
MN for the
American Comm
Survey
Census
Mobilization
Partnership
ADVOCACY
PLANNING
DEPLOY $
Community
Philanthropy

National Census Stakeholders
• Diverse voices working together
to support the 2020 Census
and ACS
• Sharing strategy, timing, and
actions
• Coordinating letters, meetings,
and outreach to Congress
• Hundreds of national
stakeholders engaged
www.thecensusproject.org

Who are MACS Supporters?
• Founded 2013 to combat Congressional threats to data
• Broad, diverse base of 180 supporters across MN --
all sectors of civic and economic life
What has been done?
• Relationships developed with all 10 members of MN
Congressional delegation
• Action taken by senators and representatives in DC on
behalf of a full and accurate Census and ACS
What’s next? Organize for 2020 Census partnership and
outreach programs (mobilization)
Mission: Educate Minnesota’s Congressional Delegation
and the Public about the critical importance of Census
data for Minnesota’s economic health and the well-being of
all Minnesotans.

Connect Through MACS! Join MACS!
• Become a MACS Supporter -- no cost, no
time commitment, just lend your name to
show our growing and state-wide support for
census data to drive sound decisions for a
better Minnesota. Join a meeting with a
member of Congress in your district
• Share your story about how census data
improves your organization and your
community.
• Sign up for MACS Newsletter Join our efforts
to get-out-the-count for the 2020 Census.
• Spread the word that the ACS is important for
Greater Minnesota.
www.minnesotansforacs.org

Connect Through MACS! Join MACS!
Contact Joan Naymark, Executive Director
Minnesotans for the American Community Survey
Joan.g.naymark@gmail.com
Learn more about
Minnesotans for the American Community Survey
Sign up to be a MACS Supporter:

GETTING IT TO WORK
AND GETTING IT RIGHT
PRIORITIES, IMPLICATIONS, WHY IT MATTERS
Arturo Vargas,
Executive Director

Remember! Why It Matters
• The Census determines distribution of public funds, resources,
political representation and is needed for sound policymaking
• Every omission in the Census, every error, every overcount has
consequences for local communities
• An accurate and complete 2020 Census is now most at risk than
ever, with many unknowns
• The 2020 Census is here, we need your engagement now

Potential Implications! Implications of Proposed Changes
and New Approaches
Internet response as primary
response option
• Bureau must conduct the 2020
Census at a lower cost per
household than 2010.
• Bureau is testing changes and
new approaches which all have
important implications for
vulnerable communities:
Use of administrative records
and other third-party data for
address canvassing and non-
response follow up (NRFU)
Reduction in number of field
staff, field “presence”
Re-design of questions on
Hispanic origin and race

Implications! Redesign of Questions on Hispanic Origin and Race
Goals of Re-design
• Increase responses to race and
ethnicity questions
• Increase reporting in the OMB race
and ethnic categories
• Increase accuracy and reliability of
results, including detailed
information on national origin and
sub-groups

Implications! Proposed Format for Combined Questions
on Hispanic Origin and Race

Implications! Redesign of Questions
on Hispanic Origin and Race
• 2015 National Content Test (NCT) initial results have been released, full
analysis expect before the end of the year
• The NCT included both separate Hispanic origin and race questions,
and combined Hispanic origin and race questions
• Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) Category: MENA is placed
among response options for selecting a major race or ethnic category
• Instruction Wording: Old and new instruction wording tested to help
improve clarity of question
• Terminology: Alternative terms to describe the concepts and groups in
the question stem, instructions, and examples
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Census Bureau

Remember! Administrative and Legislative Issues
Several organizations leading advocacy to ensure
that the Bureau has sufficient funding for Census
2020 preparations and the ACS:
• Maintain pressure on Congress -- Census budget must
continue to increase significantly as 2020 approaches.
• Congress did not pass FY 2017 appropriations
legislation by start of the fiscal year - Census is
operating at FY 2016 funding level, which is insufficient
for “ramp up” to Census 2020.
• Next opportunity for increased Census FY 2017
funding is during enactment of Omnibus appropriations
bill in December “lame duck” session.

Remember! Funding for the Census/ACS
• The election means new leadership will take
over implementation of the Census, with a new
Secretary of Commerce, Undersecretary for
Economic Affairs, and a new Census Bureau
Director
• The new make up of the House and Senate
will have implications for the Census Bureau
• Fully expect renewed efforts to add questions
to exclude undocumented immigrants from
apportionment, by adding questions on
citizenship or legal status to the decennial
form.
• Fully expect renewed Congressional efforts to
weaken or eliminate the ACS

Rosalind Gold
Senior Director, Policy,
Research and Advocacy
rgold@naleo.org
213-765-9420
Laura Maristany
Director of Policy
and Legislative Affairs
DC Office Director
lmaristany@naleo.org
202-546-2536
Erin Hustings
Senior Policy Analyst
ehustings@naleo.org
Jazmin Garcia
Staff Assistant
jgarcia@naleo.org
NALEO Educational Fund
Policy Contacts
www.naleo.org

HOW CAN WE PROCEED?
Q&A / DISCUSSION
Arturo Vargas
Joan Naymark
Bob Tracy

Thank you!

Census 2020: The Count Starts Now

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