Census Bureau readies for door-to-door count

Web posted April 12, 2000

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 Census results

By Dave Williams and Clarissa J. Walker
Staff Writers

Midnight Tuesday was the official U.S. Census mail-back deadline. Now the bureau is gearing up to send workers out for home visits.

``It is an internal deadline,'' said John Harlan, Augusta census office manager. ``What I mean by that at midnight (Tuesday) we are counting to determine the actual number of nonresponding housing units there are ... so we will know how many census workers are going to be needed.''

Census help If you need help completing your Census 2000 form, call (800) 471-9424 between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. seven days a week. Or contact the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.2000.census.gov.

Today, every Census 2000 office in the country will receive statistics that tell them exactly how many extra workers will be hitting households in areas that are unaccounted for.

The information given on the forms should be based on who was living in the household as of April 1.

In the Augusta office -- which serves 16 Georgia counties -- 600 workers have been hired. Though the figure will be more precise by the end of the week, Mr. Harlan said that at least 500 more workers will be needed.

As the deadline fell Tuesday, Georgia lagged behind the target response rate set for the state by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Georgia's 60 percent rate through Monday fell well short of the bureau's target of 68 percent. But officials monitoring the 2000 head count say they're pleased because Georgia's rate compares favorably with other states.

The highest response rates have tended to come from suburban areas such as Columbia and Oconee counties, where a larger percentage of residents have college degrees, said Doug Bachtel, a demographer at the University of Georgia.

``They tend to watch public television and listen to public radio, so they've seen the (census) ads,'' he said. ``They understand why the census is important and that safeguards are there. They don't fear it.''

But these counties also have smaller populations. The 68 percent of the Columbia County respondents tallied comprises only 22,553 households.

While Augusta's 58 percent response rate has not been applauded, the number reflects 50,493 households that sent back their forms.

The national response rate through the end of Monday was slightly above Georgia's at 61 percent, also well below the national target of 70 percent.

With its rapid population growth, Georgia has much to gain from an accurate count this year. The state stands to pick up at least one and possibly two more congressional seats and millions of additional dollars in federal aid for a wide variety of programs based on population.

The outreach effort should be credited for Georgia's success relative to surrounding states, said Robert Giacomini, director of the State Data and Research Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Still, the 60 percent mail-in rate is off from the 63 percent response rate the state achieved during the 1990 census. Some Internet sites and radio talk-show hosts have criticized the census as an invasion of privacy and urged citizens not to cooperate, a factor Mr. Giacomini said has contributed to the decline in participation.

Dr. Bachtel said communities with high concentrations of low-income residents tend to have lower response rates because they don't see the census as a priority in their lives.

``A working woman with a couple of kids and no husband doesn't have time to worry about filling out a census form,'' he said. ``She's wondering where her next meal's coming from and putting tires on the car.''

Though the unresponsiveness is an issue today, the bureau's offices reiterate that they are not relying on mail-back operations, Mr. Harlan said.

The Augusta office will send workers to local homes from April 30 through July 7 for the door-to-door count. A follow-up operation -- meant to count those who weren't counted by July 7 -- will begin July 27 and will end Aug. 15.

Those interested in applying for census jobs in Augusta should call (888) 325-7733 to get the location of the nearest testing center.

Census response

Through Monday, very few Georgia cities or counties had reached the mail-in response rate targets set for them by the U.S. Census Bureau. But state officials are pleased that the statewide response rate of 60 percent compares favorably with other Southern states. Tuesday was the mail-in deadline.

Community ..................Response Rate.......... Goal


Burke County.......................47%...............70%


Columbia County....................68%...............74%


Grovetown..........................53%...............57%


Harlem.............................34%...............73%


Hephzibah..........................49%...............60%


McDuffie County....................48%...............71%


Augusta............................58%...............68%


Thomson............................50%...............71%


Waynesboro.........................47%...............69%


Source: U.S. Census Bureau