Every 10 years the federal government is required to count every man, woman and child in the country. Not surprisingly, the census is a massive undertaking requiring the work of more than a million people to accurately count the hundreds of millions living in the country. Participation in the census is safe and easy, and the Better Business Bureau encourages everyone to take a few minutes to fill out their census form when it arrives in the mail in March.
According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 12 percent of U.S. residents said they weren't sure if they would fill out their census form, and 6 percent said that it was unlikely, or that they definitely would not return the form. The main reason respondents gave for not returning the form was that they were just too busy, not interested or uninformed.
Some myths are floating around that the census is inconvenient or unsafe, but it isn't true. Not only has the Census Bureau made safety and ease a priority, it's also in the public's best interest to respond to the census, because it will help the individual's voice be heard.
In order to dispel some myths surrounding the census, BBB offers up five reasons why everyone should participate:
IT'S SAFE: By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents' answers with anyone, including the IRS, FBI, CIA, INS or any other government agency. All Census Bureau employees take the oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data. The penalty for disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.
IT'S EASY: The mail-in census form is only 10 questions, and for many households won't take longer than 10 minutes to answer. If you don't return the form, you'll be visited at your home by a census taker at least three times. Avoid the hassle, and just fill out the form.
IT ALLOCATES MONEY AND RESOURCES: The information the census collects helps determine how more than $400 billion dollars of annual federal funding is spent on infrastructure and services that benefit the public.
IT SAVES YOU MONEY: For every 1 percent increase in mail response, the government -- and ultimately taxpayers -- save $80 million to $90 million.
IT HELPS YOUR VOICE BE HEARD: Redistricting is the process of changing electoral district and constituency boundaries. Census information affects the numbers of seats your state occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives.
KELVIN COLLINS IS THE PRESIDENT/CEO OF THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU OF CENTRAL GEORGIA & THE CSRA INC. REFER QUESTIONS OR COMPLAINTS ABOUT A COMPANY OR CHARITY TO (800) 763-4222, WWW.BBB.ORG OR INFO@CENTRALGEORGIA.
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