Because they said so.

By law, the United States Census Bureau must keep all personal information private.  Nothing that you put into your questionnaire is public; no identifying information will be published.  Courts have upheld that no individual, organization or government agency can access census data of any sort, for any reason, so your information stays safe and confidential.  It is against the law to reveal any personal data, such as telephone numbers, names and addresses.  The census will not ask for your social security number.

Also important to note, there is NO question about documentation status on the questionnaire.  Every person living in the United States as of April 1, 2010, should complete a questionnaire form, even if you’re not a U.S. citizen.  In the 2010 Census, every person counts.  No one should go uncounted because they are afraid their information will not be kept confidential.  there is nothing to lose in participating in the census, but so much to gain.

Curious about how this information is used if the Census Bureau can’t share it?  They compile general information without using any personal identifiers and share this anonymous information with states.  For more about how census data is used, check out our earlier post.  To find out more about how your information is protected, check out http://2010.census.gov/2010census/privacy/index.php.

The big picture?  The Census Bureau uses the information you give in your questionnaires to run the United States for the next ten years.  Federal funding, hospital placements, voting districts, grocery stores, you name it; all determined from census information.

The nitty gritty?  The Census Bureau compiles all the information from the questionnaires and then distributes it to states.  This data, which in no way identifies any individual, is used to allocate more than $400 billion in federal funding.  The largest amount of funding (more than half of this $400 billion) goes directly to Medicaid and ensuring that all people living in the U.S. can afford health care.   Title I funding for low-income schools is the second largest amount of funding allocated after Medicaid.  Other sources of funding include the HOME Investment Partnerships Program and Community Development Block Grants to help people attain affordable housing.

Census information is also shared with local governments and businesses.  These groups take the data and draw voting district lines so that each person is represented fairly, making sure each person’s vote counts.  Businesses use this data to decide where to put new grocery store locations and housing units.  Schools are built accordingly depending on fluctuations in population.  Roads are placed to facilitate traffic flow and public transportation is routed to serve the most people.

That’s a lot of information, but the census does a lot.  If you don’t return your questionnaire, none of this can happen.  Sound like a problem?  Solve it: mail back your questionnaire.  Let the 2010 Census do its job.

Between March 15 and March 17 the United States Postal Service will be delivering census questionnaires to your home, whether you live in group quarters, a multi-unit structure or a single-family house.

The form is simple: ten questions, ten minutes.

It will not ask you any identifying information, such as income or socio-economic status. Filling out the census is completely risk free.

Some of the questions asked are how many people are living in the house, who owns the house, and what each person’s age, sex and race are.

While you can’t fill the form out online, you can view all of the questions on the 2010 Census Web site before you get the form in the mail.

Once you get the questionnaire and fill it out, mail it back by April 1, no stamps necessary!

If you don’t mail the form back, a census taker will visit your house.

Census takers are hired by the U.S. Census Bureau and are there to make sure that your community gets counted. It is completely safe to open the door to a census taker (they will have identification and will never ask to come into your house).

Census takers will visit addresses provided by the Census Bureau who did not send back their census forms. They will visit houses up to three times, asking the same questions that appear on the census form.

Remember, the census is completely risk free! The information will only be used to help your community get the resources and representation it needs.

For questions you might have about the census, visit http://2010.census.gov/2010census/how/questions.php

It’s the first time we live away from home, the first time we can vote in the presidential election, and now, the first time we can participate in the census.

While some firsts are more exciting than others (who doesn’t love the freedom of being able to eat pizza for breakfast?), others seem less relevant. Who knows where we’ll be in ten years, right? So why bother to fill out the 2010 Census in Chapel Hill when chances are we won’t be around to see the benefits?

But that’s where we’re wrong. The 2010 Census isn’t about us. It isn’t about being able to go wherever you want, eat whatever you want or do whatever you want. It’s about affecting change for the future of our community, our town and our school.

And we’ve done it before.

Last year, an estimated 23 million Americans under the age of 30 voted in the presidential election. That’s a 3.4 million increase from 2004. No matter which candidate you voted for or how you felt about the outcome, that’s huge. The last time our age group had similar turnout was 1992.

The 2000 Census estimated Chapel Hill’s population at 48,715. With 18,000 undergraduates and a total enrollment of 29,000, it is the students that make up over half of that population. Just because we may not be here in ten years doesn’t mean that 29,000 more students won’t be behind us to take our place.

New experiences can be tricky, but that’s part of what being a college student is all about. Don’t let your inexperience prevent you from making sure that YOU COUNT.

Ten questions.  It doesn’t sound like a lot, right?  Especially when you consider that this is all information you know.  This is not a quiz, not a test, nothing that you will receive a grade for.  It’s more important than making the grade.  The answers to these ten questions will shape your life and the lives of those that attend UNC  or live in Chapel Hill for the next…

Ten years.  One decade.  For people our age, that sounds like a long time.  Most of us have only lived two decades. Our first ten years were filled with family time, playtime and fun.  Our second ten years have been filled with friends, school and finding out who we are.  And it’s because we now know ourselves that we can say with confidence, “I count!”

Where will you be in the next ten years?  Most would probably respond, “I don’t know.”  And if you don’t mail back your 2010 Census form, no one else will know either.  Leave your mark here at UNC by participating in the Census, so that your legacy will remain here for the next ten years.  By being counted, you ensure that other UNC students will have the same amazing experience here with all the wonderful resources our University has to offer.  Don’t miss your chance to make UNC count– participate in the 2010 Census.

For more information, visit www.2010Census.gov.

Tonight, as a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill, I was privileged enough to join with more than 20,000 other screaming and jumping fans as one of the greatest rivalries of college basketball worked its magic over a weary Chapel Hill crowd.  Our team had been struggling through the season, but the Carolina vs. Duke game meant magic.  It meant that we had a chance; that all of our shouting and cheering and passion would be channeled into our players; that we might be heard and that we just might win.

Well, we may not have won, but we were definitely heard.

Our Tar Heel basketball players felt our energy, sensed our intensity and heard our voices.  They played with their whole hearts and fought for our school.  While the fans may not have played the game, we made some noise like Marcus asked and stood up for what was (and will always be) right.  As he leapt across the court, we made ourselves heard.

The game may be over now, but we can’t lose that emotion.  Now, more than ever, it is crucial that our voices are heard and that we are counted in the 2010 Census.  We must come together as a Carolina family and use what we have to bring a better future to new generations of Tar Heels.  While there may be no blue devil for us to fight, there are many other battles being waged on much different fronts.  Schools are overcrowded and underfunded, jobs are scarce, health care is too costly for most and some communities in our area are simply struggling for clean water.  We cannot let them struggle in silence.  Just filling out the census can mean a world of difference for so many people.  We must stand up and be heard.

So, when you get your 2010 Census questionnaire in the mail, fill it out and mail it back.  Don’t go down without a fight; take a stand for your community.  Make some noise.  Be heard.

For more information on why the census is important, go to http://2010.census.gov/2010census/why/index.php.

The decennial census drives everything within the United States.  Information obtained from questionnaires determines everything from funds allocated to building schools, paving roads, and running hospitals to deciding the placements of these institutions, as well as things like health clinics, grocery stores and libraries.

What would the world look like if we didn’t have the information received each decade in the U.S. Census?

Imagine if you became sick.  You would want to see a doctor, right?  Without the census, there may not be a hospital in your city, or even in your county. It may not even be possible to get there because the roads may not be in place.

What about schools?  You want yourself (or your children) to have the best education, but without the census, schools would be overcrowded.  Teachers would be even scarcer than they are today and new supplies would be unheard of.  You or the children in you neighborhood may not be able to get to school because public transportation wouldn’t be in place to ensure your arrival.

By not participating in the census, you hinder your own abilities to gain access to better education, quality healthcare facilities, safe roads and so many other things that many of us take for granted.  The 2010 Census is just ten questions; ten questions to help shape the future of our country.  Thousands of people work tirelessly to run our country each day and many risk their lives to defend the lifestyles we enjoy and the futures we hope to have.  The census is an easy way for you to do your part to make this country greater in the future and to improve your way of life now.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BK7WDTN

Thanks!