People across the United States have begun receiving their census questionnaires or invitations to fill out the 2020 census online.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 95% of households will receive surveys or invitations by Friday. People started receiving them last Thursday.
The census determines how hundreds of billions of federal dollars are distributed across the United States for the next decade and where political boundaries are drawn, among other things.
An undercount is always a concern for community leaders, and added public health risks this spring are compounding that.
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An undercount of just 1% of the state could mean the loss of $1 billion for the next 10 years, said Brad Cameron, communications chairman for the Arkansas Counts statewide committee. That includes money for schools, health care and infrastructure.
While this year's census is notable for being the first collected largely online, the Census Bureau considers the "vast majority" of Arkansas' geographic area to be "Internet Choice." That means residents in those areas will receive paper questionnaires, along with instructions on how to fill them out online or by phone if desired.
Residents should be on the lookout for envelopes from the Census Bureau addressed "To the resident at," followed by their address. Inside is a census identification number that people must use to access the questionnaire.
Census responses are confidential and can't be released for 72 years. People caught violating that confidentiality face jail time and fines.
Local groups have been established across Arkansas and the nation to set up sites to help those residents who are harder to reach or who may need help filling out their forms. But whether people choose to access those sites is in question as many people choose to stay home indefinitely to avoid contracting or spreading covid-19.
"So many things are being affected, there's no way we can keep it from affecting our census count," Desha County Judge Richard Tindall said.
His small county -- tallied at 13,008 in 2010 and estimated to be shrinking quickly -- is considered among the hardest to count in Arkansas because of lower internet connectivity and other issues. Every resident there needs to be counted for the betterment of the area, he said.
Tindall has planned a community event to explain the importance of the census to county residents, many of whom he said fear it is an invasion of privacy. Sites at area libraries and possibly convenience stores will have computers and a person helping people fill out the forms. County workers and volunteers have been trying to get the message out to parents through schools and children.
The fact that the census can be filled out online is key to addressing covid-19, according to a Census Bureau news release issued March 11.
"It has never been easier to respond on your own, whether online, over the phone or by mail -- all without having to meet a census taker," the release says.
Officials responded to questions from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette about public health risks and complete count concerns by referring the newspaper to the statement.
"This is a great time to elevate the ways to complete the census survey without interacting with people during the self-response phase," Kara Wilkins, coordinator for Arkansas Counts, wrote in a message to the group's partners. Arkansas Counts is an independent group of various organizations trying to get every Arkansan counted.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson has a separate statewide committee working to count every resident. Emails to his press office were not returned by Friday evening.
Wilkins recommended using electronic formats such as email and social media to tell "20 family members, friends and fellow residents" to fill out the census online. Volunteers can also use phone and text banks to reach community members, and they can make sure flyers are up at places still open in their areas, such as grocery stores.
Residents who haven't responded online or by phone will receive a paper questionnaire between April 8 and April 16, according to the Census Bureau.
The bureau hires thousands of people nationwide as census takers to reach out to people who haven't filled it out yet. They'll hit the streets as early as April 9 in some communities and be on the ground nationwide by May 13.
Census takers also must verify addresses in the most rural areas, which include nearly all of Newton County in Arkansas, as well as parts of north, east and south Arkansas. They are called "Update/Leave" areas, and takers must verify where people are living and leave them a paper questionnaire to be mailed back to the Census Bureau.
Census takers knock on doors and leave messages for people attempting to help them fill out the census or schedule a time to do so.
Those are all in-person interactions.
The Census Bureau says it's following all public health protocols for its field operations.
"If we need to delay or discontinue nonresponse follow-up visits in a particular community, we will adapt our operation to ensure we get a complete and accurate count," the Census Bureau's statement says.
Federal law requires people to respond to the census. It can be filled out online or by phone only through July 31.
But many organizations are planning for covid-19 as though the issues it poses will last months longer.
Numerous colleges have called off in-person courses for the remainder of the spring, and organizations continue to cancel events scheduled for this spring. The NCAA canceled spring sporting events, the last of which was set for the end of June.
Cameron of Arkansas Counts is still focused on explaining to people the importance of completing the census.
Population determines funding for myriad things, he noted. In Little Rock, he said, people are concerned about school buildings. In Northwest Arkansas, people want road infrastructure to keep up with the area's growth. Monticello and Fort Smith, he noted, have a lot of residents concerned about high-quality pre-kindergarten.
But population figures are used by more than just government, Cameron said. Big businesses use the data to determine where to open new locations.
In Batesville, he said, people want more national food chains.
As far as covid-19 is concerned, Cameron said, Arkansas Counts will "reiterate and follow guidelines" from the Census Bureau.
"There's a lot of speculation right now and uncertainty," he said. "You've just kind of got to roll with things as they happen, make sure we're as responsive as possible."
Metro on 03/15/2020