Once a decade, America comes together to count every person living in the United States, creating national awareness of the importance of the Census and the critical information it provides. The stakes could not be higher: the population count will determine how political representation and close to $700 billion in federal funding are allocated to communities across the nation for the next 10 years.
Today, disinformation campaigns, distrust in government, and an increasingly large and diverse nation present barriers to a complete and accurate count of the population. America’s communities need your help to get out the count!
For the first time in 2020, people will be able to complete the Census online, presenting an opportunity to better count our nation, but also many challenges, like fake or suspicious content and targeted disinformation. Increasing digital literacy will be critical to guarding against misinformation/ disinformation and ensuring a complete and accurate count among the hardest to count populations.
The digital divide affects urban, rural, and tribal communities across the U.S. Uneven access to and use of information and communication technologies presents a challenge to a complete and accurate count. Help bridge the digital divide to ensure that people who lack access to broadband and related infrastructure are counted in 2020.
The Decennial Census is our nation’s largest peacetime mobilization. In 2020, the Census Bureau government will hire close to 500,000 Census takers to help count households across America that do not respond online, over the phone, or by mail. Help leverage the gig economy and new tech platforms for job search to better recruit this critical workforce.
Historically, certain groups of people are undercounted in the Census, including the LGBTQ community, children under 5, people experiencing homelessness, mobile millennials, and underrepresented minorities. An accurate count is vital to ensuring these groups are represented and have access to federal resources. Bring awareness of the 2020 Census to hard-to-count populations to help increase response rates.
Advocates or community members
Share your experiences and solutions you’re interested in.
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Technologists & developers
Participate in empathy building and user experience sessions to learn from end users, and brainstorm how you can leverage your skills to solve the problem.
Government
Share your expertise and listen to valuable input from people with ‘boots on the ground’ experience in the problems you’re trying to solve. Â
Other stakeholders
These challenges affect everyone, and all are welcome!