Bobbi Bowman is membership/diversity director for ASNE
What the 2010 census means to news organizations
LESS THAN A YEAR FROM now every address in the U.S. will receive a short questionnaire from the U.S. Census asking about the race, ethnicity, age, income and number of folks in the family. These questionnaires are the prelude to the best story of our lives - the story of 21st Century America.
In these days of smaller newsrooms and growing Web sites, it's hard to focus beyond the weekend newspaper. Here are some frequently asked questions about the Census to remind incredibly busy editors that this great story looms on the horizon.
Tip: The census is not about numbers. It's about power and money.
What's the big deal about the 2010 census?
The 2010 Census is a huge deal because it not only tells us where we've been but more importantly where our neighborhood and communities are going. This Census will probably show that the United States of America will become a majority minority nation in 30 years. That is historic and mind-bending.
How do we know this? Nearly 45 percent of the youngsters in the U.S. who are 5 years and younger are minorities. That's the future and that's an undercount.
Why is the U.S. becoming a majority minority country at breakneck speed?
In two words: immigration and aging. Young Spanish and Asian immigrants have flocked to the U.S. because we need their labor for both high- and low-skilled jobs. At the same time, whites are aging and having fewer children. Whites who are not Hispanic were 69 percent of the U.S. population in 2000. It's now 66 percent, and it will continue to fall.
Ninety years ago immigration changed the face of the U.S. The 1920 census showed that for the first time in our history more U.S. residents lived in cities than on farms. The huge influx of Italians, Poles, Jews and Greeks into the country at the turn of the 20th Century caused that major change in American life.
You said the Census is about power and money. What does that mean?
Power: The 10-year Census redraws the political map for the U.S. House of Representatives and state legislative districts. Northeast and Midwest states have been losing congressional seats while states in the South and West have continued to gain seats. This is a huge shift in power that Democrats and Republicans understand. That's why it was important for Barack Obama and the Democrats to break the Republican hold on the South in 2008. Remember, the Democrats won Virginia, North Carolina and Florida.
Money: Census data are used to make decisions about what community services will be provided, where to build or close schools, and distribution of $300 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year.
Why do we count everyone in the U.S. every 10 years anyway?
The Census is about power. One of the great compromises of our history was to establish two national legislative bodies - the Senate where each state, regardless of size, has two senators, and the House of Representatives where the number of representatives from each state is determined by population. The Census was established in 1790 to determine the number of House seats that should be awarded to each state.
Who gets counted?
The census counts everyone residing in the United States - in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the island areas. Yes, citizens and non-citizens are counted.
Will immigrants get counted?
You betcha. Remember the census is about power and money. The more people you have, the more political power you get. New Jersey saved itself a congressional seat in 2000 because of the influx of immigrants while its neighboring states of New York and Pennsylvania lost seats. With $300 billion at stake, governors and mayors want to make sure everyone is counted.
Just a reminder: When the U.S. was founded, Southerners insisted that slaves be counted in the census. Slaves were NOT U.S. citizens. (See the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.) They had no rights and were considered property like the pigs, cows and the dog. But they were counted as three-fifths of a man for the purpose of the Census.
Millions of people live in the U.S. So how do they count all of us?
Census questionnaires will be mailed or delivered to every address in the United States in March 2010. The questions ask you to provide information that is accurate for your household as of April 1, 2010. The Census says it should take no more than 10 minutes to fill out the questionnaire. There is no long form in 2010, just the short form. Then you mail it back to the Census Bureau.
What happens if I don't mail back the form?
Households that do not respond will be called or visited by a Census worker. Census workers can be identified by a Census badge and bag.
When do we get the first numbers to see how much the country has grown?
The Census Bureau must count everyone and submit state population totals to the U.S. president by Dec. 31, 2010. These totals tell states whether they have lost a congressional seat, gained seats or remained even. *