>> 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.