Five things to know about the U.S. Census

1. The Questions

The 2010 Census form is one of the shortest in census history, consisting of 10 main questions.

* How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment, or mobile home on April 1, 2010?

* Were there any additional people staying here April 1, 2010, that you did not include in Question 1? (Possibilities include children, such as newborn babies or foster children, relatives, non-relatives, such as roommates or live-in babysitters, people staying temporarily).

* Is this house, apartment, or mobile home: owned with mortgage, owned without mortgage, rented, occupied without rent?

* What is your telephone number?

* Please provide information for each person living here. Start with a person here who owns or rents this house, apartment, or mobile home. If the owner or renter lives somewhere else, start with any adult living here. This will be Person 1. What is Person 1’s name?

* What is Person 1’s sex?

* What is Person 1’s age and date of birth?

* Is Person 1 of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin?

* What is Person 1’s race?

* Does Person 1 sometimes live or stay somewhere else?

Questions 5 though 10 must be filled out for each person living or staying in the house.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the form will take about 10 minutes to complete for the average household. If you need help completing this form, call (866) 872-6868 between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., seven days a week. Respondents are required by law to answer the questionnaire to the best of their ability, according to the bureau.

2. What happens to the data?Information collected during the 2010 Census will be used to determine how more than $400 billion in federal funding each year will be distributed. Census data also affects the number of seats a state occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives.

For local municipalities, census response dictates the funding they receive based on population.

“Administratively, this is one of our number-one priorities — to get 100 percent of the people counted,” Sherman Village President Trevor Clatfelter said, noting the community is one of the fastest growing in the county. “This funds everything over the next 10 years, everything from police protection to infrastructure and public works.”

Sherman provides services to more than 3,700-plus residents, but its last official census count in 2000 put the village at less than 2,900 people.

“One hundred percent is the only level of response we’re interested in right now, because so much funding is on the line,” Clatfelter said.

The Census Bureau says its requests for census information will be clearly identified as coming from the U.S. Census Bureau and as official business of the United States.

It’s a federal offense for anyone to pretend they represent the Census Bureau. Residents will receive a letter from the Census Bureau director several days before their household receives a mailed form, a phone call or a visit from census staff, according to the 2010 Census Web site.

By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ answers with anyone, including government agencies such as the IRS, FBI and CIA.

For more information about the census, visit http://2010.census.gov.

3. The timetable

Letters from the U.S. Census Bureau notifying residents that the 2010 Census questionnaire is on the way were sent out by Monday, Muriel Jackson, a media specialist for the bureau said. The actual questionnaire packet will arrive for most households between March 15 and 17, she said.

After that, a follow-up post card will be sent at the end of the month to households that have not returned their questionnaires.

“We’d like the questionnaires returned as soon as possible. If they can complete the questionnaire and return it at the earliest possible time, the better,” Jackson said.

April 1 is Census Day and is used as a reference date for returning completed questionnaires.

“After that date, we’ll start to gear up for our non-response follow-up,” she said.

Residents who do not receive a form should call the Telephone Questionnaire Assistance center at 1-866-872-6868 between 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.

In December, the Census Bureau delivers population information to the president for distribution, according to a timeline provided by the bureau. In March 2011, the bureau finishes delivering redistricting data to states.

4.If you don’t send it back
Replacement questionnaires will be sent in early April to households that didn’t return their forms, Jackson said.

If no form is mailed back, census takers will personally visit non-responsive households from about April through July.

The census takers will ask residents the same questions that are on the forms, record the answers and then submit the form for a household.

5. The census takers
Census takers will visit local homes up to three times to record information, the Census Bureau says. They will leave a door hanger, which includes a phone number, each time if a resident is not home. Residents may call the number to schedule a visit.

In addition to collecting information, census takers may perform quality checks to ensure procedures are working and census staff members are doing their job.

The Census Bureau expected to tap more than 4,800 people to work for the census, including as census takers, in the Springfield area. The exact number of jobs still open wasn’t available, though Jackson said some opportunities still exist.

Prospective applicants should apply and be tested as soon as possible, and no later than April 10.

Interested applicants can call the recruiting job line at (866) 861-2010 for more information or to find out the nearest testing location, she said.

Every census employee takes an oath to protect residents’ information. The penalty for violating the oath is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment up to five years, according the 2010 Census Web site.

Amanda Reavy can be reached at 788-1525.

Read the original article from The State Journal-Register.