Counting the cost: coronavirus puts US census in jeopardy
NEW YORK: Thousands of doors were to be knocked on, but just a few days into the start of the US census, the coronavirus pandemic has halted field operations - threatening the crucial count that is conducted every ten years. Census workers had only just begun pounding the streets to inform residents of the importance of filling out the census questionnaire when the fast-spreading epidemic led to the virtual lockdown of America’s cities.
There are fears the outbreak that has killed more than 12,500 people worldwide will put the results of the costly census - which requires years of preparation - into jeopardy. The mammoth count, which began March 12, is crucial for determining how billions of dollars of federal funds are allocated and for deciding how many representatives each state gets in Congress. This week, the Census Bureau suspended all its field operations until April 1, to avoid
human contact, and said it is considering postponing the census’s final date of July 31.
‘Serious challenge’
“That date can and will be adjusted if necessary as the situation evolves in order to achieve a complete and accurate count,” it said in a statement. For the first time, the census - which was last conducted on 2010 - can be completed online, as well as by phone or email. But face-to-face contact is required to count about a quarter of the US population of 327 million, according to census expert Terri Ann Lowenthal. “This is a very serious challenge to an already challenged census,” Lowenthal told AFP, referring to the suspension of the fieldwork. Other challenges include holding the count during a noisy election campaign and the government’s attempt to include a citizenship question, which the Supreme Court struck down, she said.
Thousands of census workers will be required to count people living on the streets and in shelters, migrant workers, nursing home residents and those who live in mobile homes: anyone who may not have received the form in the mail. They will also have to knock at non-responding addresses, which usually comprise around ten percent of the population. “They might have difficulty retaining enough census takers who are willing to knock on doors, if the spread of the virus doesn’t slow down,” said Lowenthal. —AFP