Be counted in 20 1 0; Census Day is April 1
Why you should complete the questionnaire
Every 10 years since 1790, the U.S. Census Bureau has conducted a census to determine the number of people living in the United States. The 2010 Census Day is April 1, and although it may seem unimportant, completing the questionnaire is vital.
Census questionnaires will be sent to households this month. The questionnaire will contain 10 questions, and according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, it is one of the shortest questionnaires in history and will take just 10 minutes to complete.
According to Village of Mukwonago Administrator Paul Moderacki, single-family homes, renters and migrants are among the groups who are least likely to complete the census questionnaires. However, completing the survey is important and will affect the amount of federal funds given to communities, Moderacki explained.
"The amount of federal funds that come to communities is dependent on how many people are in the area," he said. "The more people in the area, the more money we're going to get."
The Department of Commerce explains that the federal government uses population data to allocate funds in a number of areas, including Title 1 grants to educational agencies, Head Start programs, Women, Infants and Children grants, public transportation, road rehabilitation and construction, programs for the elderly, emergency shelter and food and empowerment zones.
The data also helps the private sector and state and federal governments determine where jobs and job programs are needed as well as help potential homeowners research property values, median income and other demographic information about a particular community.
People may be concerned that the information they provide when filling out the questionnaires could be used elsewhere. That is not the case, according to the Department of Commerce.
"Your answers are protected by law and are strictly confidential," according to the Dept. of Commerce's 2010 Census Complete Count Committee Guide. "It is illegal for the Census Bureau, or its employees, to share your personal information with any other government agency - not law enforcement, IRS, Welfare, FBI, Immigration, etc. No court of law, not even the president of the United States, can access your individual responses."
The guide also states that census workers must pass security and employment reference checks and are subject to a $250,000 fine and a five-year prison term for disclosing any information that could identify a respondent or household.
Did you know?
Census data are used in:
• Decision-making at all levels of government
• Attracting new business to state and local areas
• Distributing more than $300 billion in federal funds and even more in state funds
• Planning for hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and the location of other health services
• Creating maps to speed emergency services to households in need of assistance
• Delivering goods and services to local markets
• Reapportioning seats in the House of Representatives
• Drawing school district boundaries
• Planning for congregations
• Determining areas eligible for housing assistance and rehabilitation loans
Information provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Information provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
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