October 15, 2009 - Posted by Cassandra Stabbert
A new report by the Pew Charitable Trusts' Philadelphia Research Initiative investigating the 2010 census preparations of 11 major U.S. cities and found that six of these cities – Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh - have less money and fewer staffers for census outreach than they did in 2000.
The 66 percent national mail response rate for the 2000 census reversed a three-decade decline in public cooperation, an achievement believed to be due in large part to community-focused outreach and education activities in which state and local governments played a significant role. But the recession has hit many communities hard and state and local budgets are tight.
An inaccurate count can skew the allocation of vital program funds and political representation for the next decade. The stakes are particularly high in many of the cities that Pew studied because they have high numbers of hard-to-count populations, including low-income renters, immigrants and minorities.
Recognizing the importance of an accurate 2010 census and the limited funds of many cities, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, the Asian American Justice Center, the NAACP, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, and the National Congress of American Indians have launched the national "Make Yourself Count" campaign to educate Americans about the importance of an accurate count. In addition, the campaign is working with local organizations and activists to increase census participation in 13 of the hardest-to-count cities, which includes seven of the cities Pew studied.
Categories: Census 2010
