- Juab County residents should plan to participate in the 2010 census
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By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
The citizens of Juab County need to plan on participating in the 2010 census.
The census is a count of everyone living in the United States every 10 years, said Chad Winn, commissioner.
He said commissioners had listened to several speeches urging them to educate the citizenry of the importance to the county of having every resident counted.
“We need to encourage people to cooperate with the census,” said Winn.
“An estimated $400 billion in taxpayer funding is distributed by the federal government annually, based on the constitutionally mandated population count.”
In addition, he said, the Census head count determines how many congressional seats are apportioned to the various states.
The head-count helps government o make decisions about what community services to provide and to distribute $400 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year.
The census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution and resident participation in the census is required by law. All residents of the United States must be counted. This includes people of all ages, races, ethnic groups, citizens and non-citizens.
“Census data directly affect how more than $400 billion per year in federal and state funding is allocated to communities for neighborhood improvements, public health, education, transportation and much more,” said Winn.
That’s more than $4 trillion over a 10-year period.
Spending just a few minutes to fill out a census form will help ensure the local area gets its fair share of federal and state funding.
Census questionnaires will be mailed or delivered to every household in the United States in March 2010. The questions ask the respondent to provide information that is accurate for the household as of April 1, 2010.
Households that do not respond will be called or visited by a Census worker. (Census workers can be identified by a census badge and bag.)
Val Jones, commission chairman, said he also thought the Census should be taken seriously by local residents.
The Census Bureau must count everyone and submit state population totals to the U.S. President by December 31, 2010.
Another point speakers had made, said Winn, in addition to the obvious monetary benefit, was that it was helpful to those seeking family records.
The Census Bureau has a primary obligation to protect the confidentiality of individual responses to the Census. As part of this confidentiality commitment, the Census Bureau does not currently release individual census questionnaires (or any other information that could identify an individual) until 72 years after a Decennial Census was taken.
In 1992, the Census Bureau released the 1920 Census schedules to National Archives. Right now, the most recent year available for research is 1930.
However, those old records provide good family information for those seeking verification.
In 1790, the first census was taken by U.S. marshals on horseback and counted 3.9 million people. Census 2000 counted more than 281 million people.
The 1790 census recorded information in only six categories, and the head of household was the only person listed by name.
By contrast, the long form of the 2000 census had 52 questions, was 12 pages long and asked the name of every person in the home and information about work status, disabilities, and the home itself, among other items.
The 2010 Census is shorter and takes less than 10 minutes to complete.
“I was a team leader in 2000,” said Winn.
He said those who were helpers with the 2000 Census were instructed to be polite and non-intrusive.
Winn said there had been some false information about the census and the questions that would be asked being passed through the internet. Federal law protects the personal information shared during the census.
The email concerns a question that is rumored to be put on the 2010 census regarding gun ownership. Currently, the Census has no such question.
The census is a count of everyone residing in the United States: in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas.
People should be counted where they live and sleep most of the year.
“LDS missionaries who are living outside the United States will not be counted,” said LuWayne Walker, commissioner.
Utah Rep. Rob Bishop, joined by fellow Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz, introduced a bill that would compel the Census Bureau to allow for Americans living overseas to be counted in the decennial census, such as LDS missionaries.
In 2000, Utah fell just 857 people short of receiving the last available U.S. House seat and this discrepancy in how Americans are counted overseas made all the difference since the census is also used to apportion seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and to redistrict state legislatures.
“Census data are used to define legislature districts, school district assignment areas and other important functional areas of government,” said Winn.
Data about changes in population are crucial to many planning decisions, such as where to provide services for the elderly, where to build new roads and schools, or where to locate job training centers.
An individual may receive an email from the Census Bureau regarding participation in a survey, however: the Census Bureau does not request detailed personal information through email; does not send email requesting PIN codes, passwords social security numbers or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.
If this occurs, forward the email or web site URL to the Census Bureau at itso.fraud.reporting@census.gov. After the email has been forwarded to the Census Bureau, delete the message. |
