Census outreach programs around the country, including those in Tucson, are trying to figure out the best way to persuade people trying to stay off the government’s radar to participate in the upcoming 2010 U.S. Census.
The Hispanic population in the United States has historically been difficult to tally because of common misconceptions about how the government uses the collected data, said Magdalena Barajas, a partnership specialist for the U.S. Census Bureau working in Tucson. Partnership programs work on a local level to inform people the census is fast and safe.
Barajas said that places with large minority populations, including Hispanic communities, are hard to count.
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With the 2010 census about to start, the Census Bureau is taking several initiatives to promote census education in the Hispanic community, such as using bilingual radio, television and Internet advertisements. The goal is to encourage full participation in Tucson and around the country.
“The accurate count of the Hispanic population or any other group will help ensure the fair and equitable apportionment of political representation and will help ensure that communities will receive a fair distribution of funds,” said Melanie Deal of the U.S. Census Bureau Public Information Office.
The data is used to assign congressional seats to states, distribute annual federal funds to state, local and tribal governments, and decide what community services to provide the areas that the census indicates are in most need. That means that if fewer South Tucson residents participate in the census, the local government receives less money to build roads, parks and schools. There is also less representation in the government.
However, many people residing illegally in the country don’t participate out of fear of being reported to the government.
This isn’t a possibility though, according to Deal, and Title 13 of the U.S. Code strictly protects the confidentiality of anyone who fills out a form. All Census Bureau employees take an oath and are sworn for life to protect that privacy.
Further, it is illegal for the Census Bureau to share the information with any other government agency, such as the Internal Revenue Service or the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, Deal said.
But how many in South Tucson actually know this?
“If they send me one [a census form], I’ll probably fill it out, but I really don’t know much about it,” said Chris Hurtado, 31, of South Tucson.
Ron Strickle, executive assistant manager at the South Tucson Walgreens, 1900 S. Sixth Ave., expressed similar sentiments about his customers.
“I know that [the Census Bureau is sworn to confidentiality], but I’m not so sure the majority of illegal immigrants here in Tucson do,” Strickle said. “If they don’t have documentation, they’re afraid of reporting to the government, even though that’s how they [the U.S. Census] determine appropriation of government aid.”
Even if illegal immigrants were informed, they might not believe it or want to risk getting caught, he said.
The Census Bureau is working to promote awareness, education and participation among people like Hurtado in Tucson, said Laura Cummings, a partnership specialist for the U.S. Census Bureau involved with a Tucson Hispanic outreach team.
La Estrella de Tucson ran a two-page spread giving information about confidentiality and safety, Cummings said.
“The big question for so many people is, where does the information go and what is done with it?” she said. “We are trying to help answer those questions.”
Radio stations 102.1 FM “La Caliente” and 1030 AM “La Raza” also had a few half-hour programs on the census with interviews from representatives who explained the confidentiality programs and that roads, highways and schools get built because of the government funds allocated to certain areas depending on population.
“The census is easy, important and safe,” Barajas said. “That’s an important message to get across to a lot of folks who don’t want to share information with a government agency.”
Barajas said she uses “trusted voices” in South Tucson to spread census awareness through partnerships with various organizations, such as Hispanic media radio stations, housing authorities and local officials.
On a national level, the TV channel “Telemundo” launched a national awareness campaign in April 2009 called “Hazte Contar,” or “Make Yourself Count.” Part of the campaign included weaving a census plotline into its most popular telenovela, “Más Sabe el Diablo,” or “The Devil Knows Best.”
The TV channel “Univision” will also be featuring call-in phone banks once a month in March and April, where for a few hours the station is completely devoted to taking census questions and answering them on air, Cummings said.
The 2010 Census website is now available in Spanish at www.2010census.gov/espanol.
