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Refresher course on census questionnaires
By MATT ERICKSON Staff Writer In mid March, 2010 census questionnaires are expected to start arriving in mailboxes throughout the country.
Before then local, state and federal officials want residents to be educated about what is, and what isn't involved with the census taken every 10 years in the U.S. since 1790.
There are three basic reasons it's important for Minnesotans to fill out the questionnaire, said Barbara Ronningen, demographer with the Minnesota State Demographic Center - political representation, as Minnesota is one of several states that could lose a Congressional seat; federal and state dollars are allocated based on census numbers; and to get a portrait of America.
"What we emphasize to our residents is that everybody counts. Anyone who lives in our state should answer the census," Ronningen said. "We're counting everyone, from smallest baby to the oldest elder. It's important."
That importance is not just at the federal level, said Brainerd City Planner Mark Ostgarden, but at every level of government.
Ostgarden has been working with the Census Bureau's regional officer in Kansas City to make sure all Brainerd addresses are known. While the census will determine apportionment of federal funds and congressional seats, Ostgarden said updating city demographics is equally important for future planning.
"We just want to make sure Brainerd isn't so large that there are places that are hiding and not getting counted, that are difficult to find and won't get counted," Ostgarden said. "It's getting people to fill the form out and not be afraid for their privacy."
Unlike the long form in the past, the census questionnaire will only consist of 10 questions: How many people living in the residence; is the residence a house, apartment or mobile home; telephone number; first name, last name and middle initial; the person's sex; the person's age and date of birth; whether the person is of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin; the person's race; and does the person sometimes live or stay somewhere else.
Questionnaires must be filled out for every person living at the residence. For each additional person, including babies and people who may just be staying for an extended period of time, there are seven questions on name, relationship, sex, age and race.
On Thursday, the League of Women Voters brought its 2010 Census campaign to the Brainerd Lakes Area chapter's meeting.
Allie Moen, program director with the League of Women Voters' state office in St. Paul, said the census steps for 2010 will start with the questionnaire. If one isn't returned, the Census Bureau will contact that person. If still no questionnaire is returned by May, census workers will start knocking on doors.
Moen said it's important for community leaders and people residents trust to get the word out on the importance of filling out the census questionnaire.
It's why the League of Women Voters is involved in the census, she said.
"The census, from my perspective, is a civil rights issue. It is an opportunity for people to stand up and be counted," Moen said. "Census numbers are used so much in things that matter in our communities that when we miss people we disenfranchise them."
One concern Moen said she often hears about is that the census questionnaire is an invasion of privacy. The questionnaire is kept private for 72 years, she said, and it not released to anyone, not even other government agencies. She relayed a story of a census worker in Colorado who defied an FBI warrant for census information. Census workers agree to keep information confidential for life.
"If you're concerned about the federal government being in your business, I like to tell people the quickest way to not have that happen is to return their form," Moen said. "If you return your form, then you have done your duty and then you are done. We don't want to miss anybody."
Ronningen said people give out more personal information when filling out an application to receive movie rentals through the mail from Netflix.
While college students, prisoners, certain nursing home residents, and shelters, among others, will be counted in groups by governing agencies, snow birds - area residents who winter in warmer climates - have proved a more difficult matter.
Ronningen said because census questionnaires are being sent to addresses and not people, snow birds who wish to be counted among the Minnesota population but are currently in Arizona, Florida or Texas should not fill out the questionnaires they receive in those state. Instead, they should wait until they get home to get to a questionnaire. The Census Bureau and the U.S. Postal Service will not forward questionnaires to other addresses.
Gordon Prickett of Aitkin County knows the difficulty in getting an accurate census count. Prickett, a League of Women Voters member, served as the Census Bureau's supervisor for southern Aitkin County for the 2000 census.
Aitkin County at that time had no house numbers, no E-911 signs and no fire numbers. To make sure everyone was counted, houses were mapped out by their description.
He'd park away from the house and walk up the road so residents could see him coming. He learned to deal with dogs, mud, snow and driving to remote areas. He'd be open, friendly and confident and let people know he was a local resident working for the Census Bureau.
"We had an awful lot of follow-up work in person," Prickett said. "You have to do all this detective work. ... It was a fascinating job. You certainly earn your money but you also have some very interesting conversations."
MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.
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