I filled out the Census! Did you?

jnelso99 said:
The government could have saved a few bucks by not sending out a "you should be getting your census form soon" notice in the mail.
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Loss Leader said:
Apparently, they did a lot of research into the best and most cost-effective way of encouraging compliance. Sending out the advance notices was considered cheaper than not doing it - According to the the interview with the head of the Census in Time.
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I'm working for the Census part-time* and I said the same thing. A co-worker told me that there's a marketing theory that every consumer needs to be informed about something at least 3 times in 3 different ways before it penetrates. It seems to be true. One of the things I've been doing is registering people to take the employment test. While doing that I ask them how they heard about the census jobs. It appears that almost all the applicants needed to hear about it in several different ways before they would pick up the phone and apply.


*Thanks to one of the JREFers who posted about it last fall and gave me the idea. :)
 
EeneyMinnieMoe said:
It is mandatory
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I'd prefer to say that it's your duty, rather than mandatory. You can choose not to do it and face potential consequences - nobody is actually going to force you to do it.
 
The Painter said:
I filled mine out and sent it in weeks ago. I found it interesting they ask your race. You can't ask that on a job application or a number of other things, so I don't think they (the government ) should be able to ask that question either.
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It's illegal to ask about race so that employers (and landlords etc) "cant'" discriminate based on your answer.

On the other hand one of the duties of a democracy is to protect the rights of its minorities; in order for it to do so effectively it "needs" to know the demographics of its citizenry.
 
Kaylee said:
A co-worker told me that there's a marketing theory that every consumer needs to be informed about something at least 3 times
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Does this mean I'll be getting a letter in the mail that says "You should have received your census form a week ago" shortly?

:D
 
Mr.D said:
Does this mean I'll be getting a letter in the mail that says "You should have received your census form a week ago" shortly?

:D
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Quite possibly. We received a notice saying, "Hey, your census form will be coming next week--please fill it out."* Then we got the census form. About a week later we got a letter saying, "Hey, you should have received your census form. Didja fill it out?"*

*I paraphrase.
 
Lucian said:
Quite possibly. We received a notice saying, "Hey, your census form will be coming next week--please fill it out."* Then we got the census form. About a week later we got a letter saying, "Hey, you should have received your census form. Didja fill it out?"*

*I paraphrase.
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Sheesh. If only the IRS were so dilligent about my tax refund check.

As an aside: I wonder what would happen if I crossed out the address on the notice, wrote "return to sender" on the front and "You should have gotten my filled out census form a week ago" on the back and tossed it into the mailbox.
 
Lucian said:
Quite possibly. We received a notice saying, "Hey, your census form will be coming next week--please fill it out."* Then we got the census form. About a week later we got a letter saying, "Hey, you should have received your census form. Didja fill it out?"*

*I paraphrase.
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And don't forgot all the advertising in the media. I'm really amazed at how much money is being spent to persuade USAians to do something that's a no-brainer. And that at least 40% of most Americans will probably not do anyway until they get reminded by door to door canvassers. But perhaps the real reason they are doing that is to provide a lot of their neighbors with part-time work through the summer. Yes, that must be it. :)
 
Lucian said:
I'm just telling you what I was told during training. I didn't say it made sense. There were quite a few things that didn't make sense.
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You got that training, too? At least they seem to be pretty uniform about that...
:p
 
Lucian said:
Did you have to take an oath that included the words, "so help me, God"? I may have mumbled over that bit.
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Yes, I did have to take that particular oath. I simply did not repeat those words, but kept my mouth firmly shut, as I knew it couldn't be held against me in any way.

No one even noticed. :D
 
slingblade said:
Yes, I did have to take that particular oath. I simply did not repeat those words, but kept my mouth firmly shut, as I knew it couldn't be held against me in any way.

No one even noticed. :D
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Ditto. I know they can't require it constitutionally, but I REALLY need the job, so I wasn't going to make a fuss: I just didn't actually say anything.
 
My Better Half, Susan, is a hobbyist genealogist, and says that, by refusing/neglecting to fill out the census, people are harming their descendants when, decades/centuries later, those descendants try to research their family tree.
 
I filled it out. When I got to the race question I marked "Other" and wrote "human" in the space provided.

Code that, Mr. Census Man.
 
RSLancastr said:
My Better Half, Susan, is a hobbyist genealogist, and says that, by refusing/neglecting to fill out the census, people are harming their descendants when, decades/centuries later, those descendants try to research their family tree.
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Susan- as usual :D- is a hundred percent correct.

There's also the fact that it harms us all in the present day- in the here and now- by depriving the government of very valuable sociological data and information they use to allocate funds and run government programs.
 
FlamingMoe said:
I filled it out. When I got to the race question I marked "Other" and wrote "human" in the space provided.

Code that, Mr. Census Man.
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It's doubtful anyone but yourself will really care. But congratulations on finding such a brave and meaningful way to protest...well, whatever it is you're protesting. :p

http://2010.census.gov/partners/pdf/ConstituentFAQ.pdf

18. Why does the Census Bureau ask about race and Hispanic origin?
The Census Bureau collects race data in accordance with guidelines provided by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and these data are based on self-identification. The racial categories included in the census form generally reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country, and are not an attempt to define race biologically, anthropologically or genetically. In addition, it is recognized that the categories of the race item include racial and national origin or socio-cultural groups. People may choose to report more than one race to indicate their racial mixture, such as “American Indian and White.” People who identify their origin as Hispanic, Latino or Spanish may be of any race. In addition, it is recognized that the categories of the race item include both racial and national origin or socio-cultural groups. You may choose more than one race category.

Information on race is required for many federal programs and is critical in making policy decisions, particularly for civil rights. States use these data to meet legislative redistricting principles. Race data also are used to promote equal employment opportunities and to assess racial disparities in health and environmental risks.
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slingblade said:
It's doubtful anyone but yourself will really care. But congratulations on finding such a brave and meaningful way to protest...well, whatever it is you're protesting. :p

http://2010.census.gov/partners/pdf/ConstituentFAQ.pdf
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Not sure what the choices were this year, since MrSis filled it out without my ever seeing the form, but on the 2000 census, my daughter checked "other" for a couple of her daughters, and entered "rainbow". (The girls are 50% caucasian, and the other 50% is about four other things, only two of which were clear choices on the form.) But I do understand the need for broad categories...
 
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