@thumper1 Same here. Got one in the mail dated March 12. Did it online right away. Got another one by mail dated March 16 . Your tax dollars at work!
@thumper1 @sevmom I assume that they mailed the second mailer before you got the chance to complete the online census. They probably could have waited more than a week between mailings but I guess they want us to sense that it is an important matter.
Yes, I get that. Just seems odd to send another mailing out before you have given people even a second to respond!
I got the second one today, too. When I re-read it more carefully, though, it said that it was a reminder to file if I hadn’t already filed the one they sent earlier.
The second one, worded somewhat differently, appears to be a reminder. The Census ID number is the same on both letters.
Thanks for the explanations provided here. We haven’t received anything yet and were wondering what we’d need to do if/when the census form arrives since this isn’t our primary residence.
Did ours online today and I was able to skip the origin question for me but wasn’t permitted to skip it for dh. Dh is 3rd generation Californian so he had me put California has origin.
We also got a reminder in the mail one day after we got the original. What a waste of paper and postage. Send a reminder closer to April 1 if people haven’t responded yet - I guess that makes too much sense.
They are going to end up abandoning it anyway.
Did one of you who got two forms get mine? Nothing here yet.
If you did not get a letter to your address with a Census ID, there is a way on the web site to give your address to complete the Census questions:
The census DOES identify you, but only after a given number of years (50 I think?). That’s how genealogists can look at past census information when tracing roots.
Haven’t gotten ours yet, but my mom did and she did it online today. So glad my 90 yr old mom knows how to use the Internet.
@kjofkw The the Census data is protected for 72 years
Having retired after working on 5 decennial censuses but not this one, I wanted to check on some of the questions raised above, so for whoever is interested:
- Individual census data and names are released by the National Archives 72 years after the date of the census.
- College students who live in dorms or off-campus housing should, indeed, be counted at that address. For dorms, the Census Bureau works with the college to determine the best way to count residents. Almost half are counted by having the college supply the data on their records about each student. Many of the rest opt to have the student complete an individual census report. Given the current situation, colleges can opt to change from the latter method to the former. More detail can be found in https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/modifying-2020-operations-for-counting-college-students.html
- Even before field activities to follow up at addresses that didn't complete the form begin in May, there are activities to count college students, including those living off campus who may be leaving campus in May, as well as people in living situations such as nursing home. Some of these activities will be postponed due to coronavirus-related concerns.
Form finally came.
D already went online and filled hers out (she lives in a different part of the country and got her form last week. She said it was strange. They asked her ethnicity , since H and I are both 1/2 Italian she put that down (along with a few other things (English/Irish/German). But…why? It was my great-grandparents who were born in Italy (she never even met my grandparents), no one in the family speaks the language, she has no cultural connection to Italy, etc. Same for the other nationalities.
SIL was born in South America, but his ancestry is European and some indigenous. So that presented other questions that were confusing to answer.
Got mine in the mail today. I’m glad my progeny will be able to follow us in the distant future, since we were never counted in the 1990 census due to moving.
https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/technical-documentation/questionnaires-and-instructions/questionnaires/2020-informational-questionnaire.pdf is the paper form if you want to look at it for reference when reading others’ comments about the questions.
Thanks @smdur1970 The link you shared is very interesting.
Do you know if the info that is shared via “eResponse” by colleges is similar to the one that would be shared via an ICQ (assuming that an ICQ would contain the same info as what is requested for people leaving in standard residences)?
I am a retired fed employee and was a few years ago in the information leak of all my information, my childrens’ and H’s (on our health insurance). I really don’t trust the security of this info. That said, I plan on filling it out online tomorrow. Not liking the question of my birthdate.