Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution requires that a national census be held every 10 years. The census is much more than a head count. It provides demographic data that figure into decisions by public and private institutions.
Schools, Hospitals, Businesses
U.S. Census Form D-1091, a local census office manual for field operations, indicates that Federal agencies use census figures to determine how to distribute public funds. State and local planners use them to plan economic development. Local officials use them to decide where to build new schools. Knowing where the elderly live can be helpful in determining sites for hospitals. Private businesses need information on population, income, and educational attainment before deciding where to locate new facilities.
Title 13, Section 221 of the U.S. Code requires residents to provide answers to the census questions. It provides for fines up to $5,000, although such fines are rarely if ever assessed. Title 13 also requires the Census Bureau to keep those answers confidential and use them only in ways that do not reveal any personal information about individuals and households. So if you report that your income is $30,000 a year and that you have a ninth-grade education, the census figures will reflect the number of people in your area who have similar incomes and educations, but it won’t identify you by name.
Census Oath of Confidentiality
Before individuals can go to work for the census, they must take an oath to keep the information they gather confidential. They are forbidden to provide it to anyone not authorized to receive it. According to the Census Bureau's website, 2010 Census.gov, unauthorized recipients include the FBI, the IRS, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and even the president of the United States. The law provides heavy penalties for any census worker breaking the confidentiality oath.
If this is true, many wonder, why does the Census Bureau ask for the names of those who fill out the questionnaires?
The answer: The Census Bureau doesn’t want to count you twice. Your name also helps the bureau to determine whether you’re male or female. It will also help you obtain a record later on if you need it to prove your age, citizenship or family relationship. Some people need this information to qualify for Social Security benefits, to obtain passports, and to have official proof for other purposes.
Hispanics and Race
The Census Bureau asks for a person’s race because race figures in numerous policy decisions, particularly those related to civil rights. States under the Voting Rights Act need to know the racial make-up of an area before they reapportion local and state legislative districts. Racial statistics also are used to promote equal employment opportunities and to assess racial disparities in health and environmental risks.
For census purposes, Hispanic background is not considered a matter of race. It’s a question of ethnic origin. A Hispanic may have ethnic origins in any Spanish culture but may be of the Negro, Caucasian, American Indian or other race.
Housing Information
Housing information is gathered to identify areas of inadequate housing, to help plan for new housing, and to help plan water, sewer and transportation facilities. It also helps to identify trends in home ownership and in rental housing.
The Census Bureau asks for the telephone number so that census staffers may call for clarification. Otherwise they would have to send a census worker to your house. The bureau is forbidden to share that telephone number with anyone else.
Gene Owens - Gene Owens is a veteran of more than 50 years of newspaper writing. At his retirement in 2003 from the Press-Register in Mobile, Ala., the ...
