Latinos responding to census at a slower rate

Even amid the pandemic and nationwide protests against racial bias and police brutality, more than 60% of Americans have responded to the 2020 Census, a national count of country’s population conducted every 10 years.

But in areas with large Latino populations, the self-response rate has lagged behind the national average, according to a data analysis by The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund in partnership with NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises.

The analysis shows that less than 20% of Puerto Ricans have responded to the census, and self-response rates in Arizona, California, Florida, New Mexico, New York and Texas are lagging behind the rest of the country.

“We know that during the economic turmoil brought on by COVID-19, Census Bureau operational changes, and misinformation around the census, Latinos continue to have lower self-response rates than the general population,” NALEO Educational Fund CEO Arturo Vargas said in a statement.

To bring attention to this issue, NALEO will host a “day of action“on Wednesday with NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and its local TV stations. They will present the data analysis during two virtual town halls in English and Spanish, as well as hold nationwide live phone banks to provide Latino communities with information on the 2020 Census.

NALEO and the polling firm Latino Decisions released a survey in February on some of Latinos’ worries and perceptions of the census. It found most were worried that the Trump administration would use data against them.

The U.S. Supreme Court, however, blocked an effort by President Donald Trump last year to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census. The president wanted to count citizens and noncitizens in the country “for Congress for districting,” he told reporters last July.

An accurate count of Latinos, one of the largest groups of people in the U.S., is important for determining necessary funding for critical community services, said Christina Kolbjornsen, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises senior vice president of corporate and external Affairs.

“Now, more than ever, it is our responsibility to continue engaging and informing not only the Latino community but all others at risk of being miscounted on the importance of completing the 2020 Census,” Kolbjornsen said in a statement.

The county with the lowest response rate in the U.S., according to the analysis, is in southwestern Arizona near the U.S.-Mexico border. Yuma County has a population of about 213,000 residents, with 64% of Latinos or Hispanics. The self-response rate is at 42.9%.

Outside of the U.S. mainland, Puerto Rico has the most alarming rate. Less than 20% of the island’s residents have responded to the census.

In March, Census officials temporarily suspended field operations until April 1 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. They resumed some field offices in early May.