2010 Census and Communications Savvy « Widmeyer Communications

2010 Census and Communications Savvy
By Mary Elizabeth Burke, Senior Analyst

How is it that 90% of Americans say the U.S. Census – the systematic count of our population that occurs every 10 years – is important for the country, but only 58% of Americans say they will definitely participate? Recent findings from a poll by Pew Research Center illustrate the challenge facing Census administrators. Some new approaches in this year’s count will be of interest to communicators:

Investments in marketing, with a known return – The 2010 Census plans to spend around $340 million in marketing efforts to encourage participation. A healthy budget for any effort, but in this case a smart investment with a specific return. Census Director Robert Groves said in a January speech that “for every one percentage point that we raise the mail response rate through this advertising campaign, we will reduce the total cost to the Census by about $85 million” in follow-up efforts.

Experimenting with social media, not overhauling to digital – The Census Bureau is experimenting with using social media to promote participation – they have a Twitter account (@uscensusbureau), Facebook fan page, and YouTube channel, and Director Groves is keeping a blog. It’s all part of the effort to reach out to more audiences and encourage participation, particularly among younger audiences, who are significantly less likely to plan to participate. However, the 2010 Census will not use the Internet to collect data. The Census Bureau is conducting tests around electronic data collection, and it is something we will probably see by 2020.

More transparency and information sharing – Americans will have access to more information about this Census than any on record. During data collection, the 2010 Census Web site will feature an interactive map that will allow visitors to explore real-time monitoring of Census participation, including comparisons between regions to appeal to the competitive streak in all of us.

Multicultural and multiple language materials – Promotional materials encouraging Census participation will be published in 28 languages – up from 17 in 2000. Additions include Farsi, Portuguese, and Yiddish. Basic materials explaining the questionnaire will be available on the Census Web site in an astounding 59 languages.

Keeping the program/product/issue user-friendly – You may remember in the past that about 15% of households received a “long form” with more detailed demographic, economic, social, and housing questions. The findings were then extrapolated to the population at large. This year will be the first Census not to include a long form – this more detailed information is now collected as part of the ongoing American Communities Survey, also conducted by the Census Bureau.

Most Americans will receive their Census forms in March, with a due date of April 1, 2010. It is expected to take about ten minutes to complete. In addition to the important role the count plays in distributing $400 billion+ in federal funds annually and determining the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives, this year’s campaign is about engagement and participation. So watch for your Census forms – it’s time to be counted!

2010 Census and Communications Savvy By Mary Elizabeth Burke, Senior Analyst

2010 Census and Communications Savvy
By Mary Elizabeth Burke, Senior Analyst