Sunday, September 13th, 2020
As outlined in a previous blog from early April, the 2020 Census is an extremely important undertaking that directly impacts congressional representation, federal funding, and informed policy decisions. Unfortunately, the already immensely complex task of accurately counting and gathering information from over 300 million Americans has been further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic has created confusion among respondents and hampered the ability of the Census Bureau to follow up with households who have yet to fill out the Census. When thousands of people temporarily relocated due to the virus, including college students who were sent home and city-dwellers fleeing to more rural environments, many were left wondering what address to use for the census. A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center found that among people who have not filled out the Census, 40% would not be willing to talk to a census worker who came to their door.
According to 2020 Census response rate data from the Census Bureau, as of September 11th, New York has a self-response rate of 62.3%, still slightly under the response rate from the 2010 Census. Within the Hudson Valley region, self-response rates vary considerably. Five of the nine counties in the region have a higher self-response rate than the State. However, the rural counties of Sullivan and Greene both have significantly lower response rates than the rest of the region and the State.
Regardless of where you live or what the response rate is in your community, if you haven’t filled out the 2020 survey, now is the time! Take just 10-minutes to fill out your 2020 Census questionnaire online at:
