>> Sreenivasan: THIS WEEK BEGINS
THE 2020 CENSUS, AN AIM TO COUNT
EVERYONE LIVING IN THE COUNTRY
AND THE U.S. TERRITORIES.
THE FINDINGS WILL DETERMINE HOW
FEDERAL DOLLARS ARE DISTRIBUTED.
HANSI LO WANG, A NATIONAL
CORRESPONDENT FOR NPR HAS BEEN
REPORTING ON THE 2020 CENSUS.
WE SAT DOWN RECENTLY TO DISCUSS
WHAT TO EXPECT, INCLUDING WHAT'S
NEW THIS TIME AROUND.
>> IT'S A BASIC SET OF QUESTIONS
THAT'S GOING TO ASK YOU WHERE
YOU LIVE.
CONFIRMING YOUR ADDRESS, ALL THE
PEOPLE LIVING IN YOUR HOME,
THEIR AGE, BIRTH DATE, PHONE
NUMBER THAT SOMEONE CAN BE
REACHED AT, RACE, ETHNICITY AND
THE RELATIONSHIP THAT PEOPLE
BETWEEN PEOPLE LIVING IN THE
SAME HOME AS WELL AS WHETHER THE
HOME IS RENTED OR OWNED.
SOME OF THE CHANGES ARE IN THE
RACE QUESTION.
IF YOU MARK OFF THE WHITE AND/OR
THE BLACK BOX, TO ANSWER THE
RACE QUESTION, FOR THE FIRST
TIME THE CENSUS BUREAU IS GOING
TO ASK WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF
RACE WHAT YOUR ORIGINS ARE.
AND THOSE ARE NON-HISPANIC
ORIGINS.
THEY PROVIDE EXAMPLES SUCH AS
ENGLISH OR FRENCH OR JAMAICAN OR
NIGERIAN, FOR EXAMPLE, ASKING
THEM TO WRITE THOSE IN AND UNDER
THE RELATIONSHIP QUESTION
DESCRIBING HOW PEOPLE WITHIN THE
SAME HOUSEHOLD ARE RELATED.
THERE'S GOING TO BE NEW
CATEGORIES THAT SPECIFY SAME SEX
AND WHAT THE BUREAU IS CALLING
OPPOSITE SEX: SPOUSE, WIFE,
HUSBAND, PARTNER.
THAT'S THE FIRST TIME THE CENSUS
BUREAU IS ASKING FOR PEOPLE TO
IDENTIFY THEIR SEXUAL
ORIENTATION DIRECTLY IN THE
CONTEXT OF THIS RELATIONSHIP
QUESTION.
>> Sreenivasan: OKAY, SO THERE
IS NOT A CITIZENSHIP QUESTION IN
THIS CENSUS.
IS THERE ANOTHER WAY ARE THERE
OTHER WAYS THAT THE GOVERNMENT
IS GOING TO COME UP WITH SOME
SORT OF AN ESTIMATE ON THAT
DATA?
>> THE GOVERNMENT'S GOING TO
TRY.
PRESIDENT TRUMP ISSUED AN
EXECUTIVE ORDER ONCE HE
ANNOUNCED THAT THE
ADMINISTRATION WAS NO LONGER
PUSHING FOR THIS CITIZENSHIP
QUESTION THAT FEDERAL COURTS
HAVE NOW PERMANENTLY BLOCKED
FROM BEING ADDED TO THE 2020
CENSUS FORMS.
AND SO THE CENSUS BUREAU HAS
BEEN WORKING TO TRY TO COMPILE
EXISTING GOVERNMENT RECORDS FROM
VARIOUS FEDERAL AGENCIES, THE
STATE DEPARTMENT, DEPARTMENT OF
HOMELAND SECURITY, AS WELL AS
SOME STATE D.M.V. OFFICES AND
TRYING TO COME UP WITH A DATA
SET THAT WOULD REPRESENT THE
CITIZENSHIP STATUS OF EVERY
PERSON LIVING IN THE COUNTRY.
>> Sreenivasan: AND SORT OF VERY
BASIC.
BUT THIS IS NOT HAPPENING ON
FACEBOOK.
THERE WERE CAMPAIGN ADS FROM THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION EARLIER
THIS WEEK, I THINK, THAT
FACEBOOK DECIDED TO TAKE OFF.
BUT THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE
THROUGH FACEBOOK.
THIS ISN'T GONNA BE THROUGH AN
EMAIL.
THIS IS GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT
GOING TO HAVE TO GO TO THIS ONE
AND ONLY WEBSITE TO FILL OUT.
CORRECT?
>> THAT'’’S RIGHT.
THE OFFICIAL 2020 CENSUS ONLINE
FORM IS A WEBSITE.
IT'’’S NOT AN APP.
IT'S my2020census.gov, YOU CAN
ACCESS IT, THE CENSUS BUREAU
SAYS, FROM ANY WEB BROWSER.
AND THOSE ADS FROM THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION'S, TRUMP
REELECTION CAMPAIGN, RATHER,
THOSE WERE ADS DIRECTING TO A
SURVEY THAT WAS CALLING ITSELF
SOME TYPE OF "OFFICIAL CENSUS."
BUT IT WAS NOT THE OFFICIAL
CENSUS.
>> Sreenivasan: SO WHAT HAPPENS
FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND
THE PROCESS?
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CENSUS TAKER
KNOCKS ON THE DOOR AND THERE'S
NOBODY HOME?
HOW DO WE GET INFORMATION ON WHO
LIVES IN THIS COMMUNITY?
>> WELL, THESE CENSUS WORKERS
ARE NOT GOING TO GO OUT UNTIL
AROUND MID-MAY.
SO THE NEXT FEW MONTHS,
EVERYONE'’’S ON THEIR OWN.
CENSUS BUREAU HOPES YOU
SELF-RESPOND, BUT STARTING IN
MID-MAY AND INTO THE SUMMER,
HOUSEHOLDS THAT HAVEN'T
RESPONDED BY THEN, THE CENSUS
WORKER IS GOING TO TRY AND KNOCK
ON THAT DOOR MULTIPLE TIMES.
AND ALSO, IF, IF ULTIMATELY,
CENSUS WORKERS CAN'T FIND
SOMEONE AT THEIR HOME, THEY MAY
ASK NEIGHBORS, LANDLORDS, OTHER,
WHAT THE CENSUS BUREAU CALLS
PROXIES TO TRY TO HELP
UNDERSTAND WHO IS ACTUALLY
LIVING IN THAT HOME.
ALSO GOING TO USE FOR THE FIRST
TIME MORE EXTENSIVE USE OF
EXISTING GOVERNMENT RECORDS TO
TRY TO FILL IN THOSE GAPS.
>> Sreenivasan: THIS IS
HAPPENING, ABOUT 500,000 TEMPS
ARE REQUIRED TO DO ALL THAT
KNOCKING.
AND THIS IS HAPPENING IN THE
CONTEXT OF A CORONAVIRUS SCARE
WHICH IS GOING THROUGH THE
COUNTRY.
ANY POSSIBILITIES THAT THAT
COULD IMPACT HOW THE RESULTS
COME OUT?
>> IT'S SOMETHING I'M WATCHING
RIGHT NOW.
AND 500,000 WORKERS IS WHAT THE
BUREAU IS EXPECTING TO NEED IF
THE RESPONSE RATE, ACTUALLY
SELF-RESPONSE RATE, IS EVEN
LOWER THAN 60%, ABOUT 55%.
AND THOSE, THAT'S OF HOUSEHOLDS
THEY'RE EXPECTING TO SELF
RESPOND.
AND SO IT'S A BIG QUESTION IF
THE CENSUS BUREAU, RIGHT NOW,
IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE RAMPING UP
HIRING.
IT'S RECRUITED MORE THAN TWO
MILLION APPLICANTS.
AND NOW STARTING TO OFFER
POSITIONS TO THESE APPLICANTS TO
SEE IF ANYONE WILL TAKE THEM AND
GO THROUGH TRAINING OVER THE
NEXT FEW MONTHS AND TO BE
DEPLOYED IN MAY.
WE'’’LL SEE HOW THAT TURNS OUT.
>> Sreenivasan: HOW DO WE COUNT
HOMELESS PEOPLE?
>> IT'’’S A COMPLICATED PROCESS.
AND TOWARDS THE END OF MARCH,
THIS MONTH, THE CENSUS BUREAU IS
GOING TO DO TWO DIFFERENT
THINGS.
ONE IS GOING TO VISIT SHELTERS,
WHICH THEY'VE CONTACTED SO FAR,
AND TRANSITIONAL HOMES, FOR
EXAMPLE, AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT A
WAY WORKING WITH THOSE SHELTERS
FOR FIGURE OUT THE BEST WAY TO
COUNT THE RESIDENTS FOR THE
PEOPLE WHO USE THOSE FACILITIES
THAT COULD BE SENDING A CENSUS
WORKER TO DO IN-PERSON
INTERVIEWS.
IT COULD BE DISTRIBUTING PAPER
FORMS AND THEN COLLECTING THEM
AT THE END.
AND THEN CERTAINLY THERE ARE
FOLKS WHO ARE LIVING NOT IN
SHELTERS, LIVING ON THE STREETS.
AND THE CENSUS BUREAU DOES HAVE
A ONE DAY COUNT AROUND APRIL 1.
AND WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO VISIT
PLACES WHERE THEY'RE MORE LIKELY
TO FIND FOLKS WHO ARE HOMELESS.
AND TRIED TO DO A COUNT THERE.
>> Sreenivasan: AND REALLY KIND
OF THE BOTTOM LINE OF THIS IS
THAT THIS IS VERY CONSEQUENTIAL
FOR HOW COMMUNITIES GET MONEY
FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND
HOW WE REALLY THINK ABOUT LOTS
OF OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE BIG
CONSEQUENCES GOING FORWARD THE
NEXT TEN YEARS.
>> ONE WAY TO THINK ABOUT THE
CENSUS, IT'S A WAY FOR EVERY
PERSON LIVING IN THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA TO EXPRESS
POWER.
THE CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE ONE,
SECTION TWO, IS CALLING FOR AN
ACTUAL NUMERATION, ACTUAL
COUNTING OF EVERY PERSON LIVING
IN THE COUNTRY.
AND THOSE NUMBERS DETERMINE HOW
MANY CONGRESSIONAL SEATS,
ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES EACH
STATE GETS.
AND IT GUIDES MORE THAN $1.5
TRILLION A YEAR FOR MEDICARE,
MEDICAID, ROADS AND SCHOOLS.
AND IT'S ALL DEPENDENT UPON HOW
MANY PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN THE
COUNTRY.
>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT.
HANSI LO WANG, THANKS SO MUCH.
>> YOU'’’RE WELCOME.