Fill Out the Census Form While You’re Stuck Inside
Feeling helpless in the face of the coronavirus? Here is a small but important step you can take: Complete the online census form. Visit 2020census.gov to complete the online census, which will probably take less than 10 minutes (mine took about three minutes) and will make you feel like you’ve done something productive.
If you need a quick refresher on what a census is and why we have one, here’s a 30-second video from the US Census Bureau :
Basically, every 10 years we try to count everyone and collect information about the demographics of our country, and then the government uses this information to determine where and how to fund schools, fire stations, transport grants, and so on. Census data also helps determine how many congressional seats each state gets, which is important in some way.
I’m not saying that if you don’t spend five minutes filling out your online census, your state won’t get the representatives it needs, and your local school won’t get the funding it needs, but … you know what, just fill out your online census. If you’re trying to avoid screen time to set a good example for your kids, you can even complete the census over the phone !
If you would like to see the questions you need to answer before the census begins, the Census Bureau will prepare them for you . It is important to note that in the 2020 census, there is no question of citizenship ; at some point our government considered asking everyone for their citizenship status as part of the census process, but this is not being discussed for 2020.
This means that if you live in the United States or any of its five territories, you can and must complete the 2020 Census regardless of your citizenship status. In fact, filling out your census is required by law – and the law also requires the Census Bureau to keep your information confidential.
This brings me to one last good reason for completing your census now. If you don’t turn in your questionnaires by phone, email or the Internet, the census taker may show up at your home (presumably after all this “physical distancing” is over) – and the last thing you want is someone knocking at your door and asks if you have a few minutes to answer a bunch of census questions.
So answer them today from the comfort of your home as a way to feel like you’re still productive during a period of prolonged uncertainty. When you’re done, you can throw a dance party.