The US Census Bureau has begun following up in person with all households across the country that have not yet responded to the 2020 Census. And according to local social network posts, counters may be facing suspicion and hostility from some residents who are approached.

Nonresponse follow up is one key way the Census Bureau is working to meet its goal of counting everyone once and only once, and in the right place. Other efforts include e-mailing households in low-responding areas to encourage them to respond to the 2020 Census and, in partnership with local organizations, hosting questionnaire assistance events in public places to share information and to allow residents to complete the Census on the spot.

The current self-response rate in Connecticut is 67.2 percent.

The Census Bureau will visit the remaining addresses to collect responses in person. Census takers may return to uncounted households multiple times, if necessary. All Census results will be collected by September 30 so that they can be processed and released as statistics by December 31, as required by law.

Households can still respond now by completing and mailing back the paper questionnaire they received, by responding online at 2020census.gov, or by phone at 844-330-2020. Households can also respond online or by phone in one of 13 languages and find assistance in many more.

Those who respond will not need to be visited to obtain their census response, although a small percentage will be contacted to confirm response information already gathered.

What To Expect

Participation in 2020 Census interviews should present a low risk of transmission of COVID-19, according to the CDC. The Census Bureau will provide face masks to census takers and requires that census takers wear a mask while conducting their work.

They will follow CDC and local public health guidelines when they visit. Census takers must complete a virtual COVID-19 training on social distancing protocols and other health and safety guidance before beginning their work in neighborhoods.

Census takers are hired from local communities. All census takers speak English, and many are bilingual. If a census taker does not speak the householder’s language, the household may request a return visit from a census taker who does. Census takers will also have materials on hand to help identify the household’s language.

If no one is home when the census taker visits, the census taker will leave a notice of their visit with information about how to respond online, by phone, or by mail. People are encouraged to cooperate with census takers and ensure that everyone who was living in their household as of April 1, 2020, is counted.

Identify Census Takers

Census takers can be easily identified by a valid government ID badge with their photograph, a US Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date on the badge. To confirm a census taker’s identity, the public may contact the New York Regional Census Center at 212-882-7100 to speak with a Census Bureau representative.

The US Constitution mandates a census of the population every ten years.

Census statistics are used to determine the number of seats each state holds in the US House of Representatives and informs how billions of dollars in federal funds will be allocated by state, local, and federal lawmakers annually for the next ten years.

For more information, visit the Census website above.