BY WAYNE WINK
Did you know that the Census is right around the corner this year? April 1 will begin the process of counting the entire population, and sometime this month you will be receiving a notification that the U.S. Census questionnaire is available.
This notification will have step-by-step instructions on how to complete the questionnaire by phone, online, mail or in-person.
Paper forms will be available in English and Spanish, but you can respond online or by phone in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Tagalog and Vietnamese. The bureau is also providing video and printed guides in 59 non-English languages, as well as a video in American Sign Language.
Odds are good that you will provide more detailed personal information on social media than by responding to the questions on the upcoming Census. There will be nine questions on the Census.
Some questions that will be asked on this questionnaire are regarding your household and housing situation. It will ask how many people live in your household and whether you rent or own the household. The questionnaire will also have questions specifically about each person living in the household, mainly race, gender and age.
Every question on the Census has a required purpose and the answers will help each community. But if you think that the Census will not have any meaning or impact on you, please keep reading.
Why is it important we participate in the Census this year? Well, our governmental officials will use this information that is collected through this process to determine how much funding is distributed to each state.
It will affect funding for schools, local municipalities, and other governmental or semi-governmental organizations. Public funding for healthcare programs such as Medicaid and Medicare will be affected, as well as educational programs like Head Start and school lunches.
Funding for employment, training, and infrastructure for roads and highways will also be affected. Billions of dollars, 800 to be more specific, are allocated using population and demographic data that is collected only through the U.S. Census every 10 years.
If North Hempstead shows that our population is growing or has grown, it will translate to an increase to funding for our school districts, it will influence how much money we receive for our public transit programs (LIRR, NICE Bus, etc.), support for housing options and it will determine how the business industry treats our community.
The census will also dictate how our population is represented. The results of the Census are used to determine the number of seats each state receives in Congress. The larger our population, the more representatives we get, the more our voices will be heard. This would also apply to state representatives and local representatives. The more people counted in North Hempstead, the better our representation will be on the federal, state and local levels.
To debunk any myths that have been circulating about the 2020 Census, please note that there will NOT be any questions about citizenship. Additionally, you will NOT be asked for any Social Security numbers, political affiliation and you will most definitely not be asked to contribute any amount of money.
None of your information will be shared with any other governmental agency except for the US Census Bureau. The law requires the Census Bureau to keep information confidential and to only produce aggregate statistics. Census workers take a lifetime oath to keep census data private – which if broken could lead to a minimum of five years imprisonment and/or a fine of $250,000.
Information shared in the census cannot be used to determine an individual’s eligibility for government benefits and can never be shared with immigration enforcement agencies or law enforcement. Government agencies, other than the U.S. Census Bureau, will only have access to publicly available census data.
Another myth is that you do not need to respond to the Census. Every household that hasn’t responded will receive several reminders. If households still have not responded, Census workers will follow up in person. And even after that, if you haven’t responded, then they will consult neighbors or mail carriers to obtain basic information concerning inhabitants.
If all else fails, the Census will consult state and federal records to estimate uncounted persons. Studies have shown that when households participate voluntarily and in a timely manner, census data is more accurate and census operating costs are significantly reduced. In 2010, the pre-paid postage for mailing back the census form only cost the government 42 cents, while a visit by a census enumerator cost $57.
So if you receive a questionnaire in the mail, have a US Census worker show up at your door or if you have access to the internet, be sure to fill out every question and show that North Hempstead and New York State have a large and diverse population. We all deserve proper representation and funding for our community.
Just remember, Facebook requires much more personal information than does the Census but the Census has much more impact on our communities.
