» Census’ ‘dramatic drop.’
Rate of response has declined in San Antonio, other cities during pandemic
As the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted American life, the rate of response to the 2020 Census has declined in San Antonio and other major cities across the nation.
That’s something the 2020 Census campaign and local community groups hope to change.
When people began receiving invitations to respond to the census in mid-March, the percentage of San Antonio households responding by phone, by mail or online was strong — 1.4 percent on some days, 1.7 percent on others.
But beginning in late April, those numbers tapered off. Now the daily response rates are marginal — 0.1 or 0.2 percent of households, according to Berta Rodriguez, census administrator for the city of San Antonio.
It’s a trend seen not only in San Antonio, but also in Houston, Dallas, New York City, San Diego, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Chicago.
“The dramatic drop in the daily response rates is now concerning,” Rodriguez said. “We need to double down and figure out how to get those individuals who are not as apt to respond on their own.”
Those less likely to respond in
clude racial and ethnic minorities, people with language barriers, renters and those lacking access to WiFi and cell phone service, she said.
The 2020 census aims to count every person living in the United States. The data will be used for the next decade to determine how billions in federal funding are distributed for highways, health care, education, school lunches, fire stations, emergency medical services and other resources.
The final numbers also will determine how many congressional seats are allocated to each state.
The deadline to respond to the 2020 census, originally July 31, has been pushed back to Oct. 31. But people are encouraged to respond sooner. They can do so online, by phone at 844-330-2020 or by mail.
Nationally, 60 percent of U.S. households — nearly 89 million homes — have responded to the 2020 census so far.
Texas lags behind with a response rate of 54.7 percent, representing 6.6 million households.
That response rate puts Texas 42nd among states.
Bexar County’s household response rate stands at 58.7 percent, 20th among Texas’ 254 counties.
The city of San Antonio’s rate is 57 percent. That’s fourth among U.S. cities with populations of at least 1 million.
Several cities just outside San Antonio have registered some of the highest response rates in Texas — Garden Ridge at 84 percent, Shavano Park at 81.7 percent, Fair Oaks Ranch at 80.3 percent, Windcrest at 76.2 percent and Helotes at 75.9 percent.
But some of the most important work is yet to come.
Census workers haven’t been able to visit any Texas households that failed to respond to the census because of the risks posed by the novel coronavirus. Those efforts are scheduled to begin in mid-August and continue into early fall if it’s safe for census workers to knock on doors.
They will wear personal protecThe tive equipment, such as masks and gloves, and will maintain a safe distance from people they interview, said Dennis Johnson, deputy regional director for the 2020 Census’ Dallas region, which encompasses 12 states, including Texas.
At the peak of operations, Johnson estimates there will be 40,000 to 50,000 census workers fanned out across Texas.
“We actually only go to those households that we haven’t heard from,” Johnson said. “We would be visiting them in person and assisting them in completing the census. That’s going to be later on this summer and maybe into early fall. So far, we haven’t done any of that.” 2020 census numbers will be even more critical because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rodriguez said.
“It becomes even more important for us to understand what our population looks like going into recovery,” she said. “If you think about the kids that are still needing to get their meals – the breakfasts and their lunches through their school system. If you think about the number of people that have been waiting for food at the food bank. If you think of the health care services that have had to be operational and at the ready.
“All of these services, all of the funding that goes to these services and programs, are impacted by the census.”