Census participation
If I were the Director of the Census, a few things I would do to encourage more participation would be to go to the elementary, junior high, and high schools and teach the younger generations the importance of the Census. In doing this I believe the children would then talk to their parents about it and encourage their families to participate. Also, in terms of the funds that are given out, I think all data should be broken down into charts or graphs showing the difference in amounts given to schools, hospitals, and other important entities within the communities with participation versus without. People don’t always have time to read information but more often than not people will take the time to look at a picture that conveys the same facts, “a picture is worth a thousand words." I would create more campaigns that target specific fears within our communities and address the issue of governmental distrust when it comes to completing the Census. For example, I would get the message out about how information on the Census form is not allowed to be shared with any other government agencies. I would also educate the public on the fact that anyone who does share any of this information will be punished by law. I would talk to the Latino community about how powerful we could be because of the size of the Hispanic population and also about the things we would lose out on if our presence isn’t known. People should know the $400 billion dollars distributed by the Federal government is broken down to $10,000 per person for 10 years. I truly believe if people within our communities knew the importance of the Census they would take the 10 minutes to answer the 10 questions. I believe getting more celebrities and entertainers involved in delivering the message on the importance of filling out the Census would be beneficial in getting more people to participate.
