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how does the census benefit me

by Vivianne Gerlach Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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How does the Census affect me? The Census affects you, your family, and your entire community. The data helps decision makers understand how your community is changing so they can plan for future needs.

To Benefit Your Community
The results of the census help determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding, including grants and support to states, counties and communities are spent every year for the next decade. It helps communities get its fair share for schools, hospitals, roads, and public works.
Nov 23, 2021

Full Answer

Why is the census important to social science?

The comprehensiveness of the decennial census makes it an important data source for social scientists conducting research and for businesses making investment and expansion plans, among others. Census data are used to apportion multiple federal funding streams.

What is the decennial census and why is it important?

The decennial census provides a uniquely comprehensive data source. Its accuracy affects not only political representation but whether adequate funding is disbursed to where it is needed the most in areas ranging from potholes to health insurance to education.

What is unique about the US Census?

The U.S. decennial census is unique because it is an actual enumeration of the total population living in the United States, rather than a sample. The United States does not maintain a registry of all residents, unlike some European countries (see here for example).

How is the census data used to determine funding?

How the census data is used to determine funding varies from one program to another, as the examples below illustrate. Census data are used to calculate the rate at which federal funds match state spending on programs including Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

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What are 2 reasons why the census is important?

The census informs other research efforts. Consequently, a number of federally produced statistics also rely on census data, including national unemployment and crime rates, births, deaths, school performance measures and Consumer Price Index calculations.

Do you get money from the census?

Every state receives billions in annual funds that rely on census data to properly guide the distribution. California, with the largest population in the country, is, not surprisingly, the top recipient of census-guided funds, receiving more than $171.9 billion.

What are the four advantages of census?

AdvantagesIt is the most accurate count of a country's population on which official planning can be based upon.It captures a wide spectrum of a country's population data and characteristics.It has a wider coverage of a country's population as well as other variables such as housing, income, sanitation etc.

What is census and its advantages?

Intensive Study – Under census investigation, you must obtain data from each and every unit of the population. Further, it enables the statistician to study more than one aspect of all items of the population. To give you an example, the Indian Government conducts a census investigation once every 10 years.

What happens if I don't do the census?

Under the Census and Statistics Act 1905, the Australian Statistician can issue you a Notice of Direction, which directs you in writing to complete the Census. The notice explains that if you don't complete the Census, you can be prosecuted and fined up to $222 a day.

What happens if you don't respond to census?

By census law, refusal to answer all or part of the census carries a $100 fine. The penalty goes up to $500 for giving false answers. In 1976, Congress eliminated both the possibility of a 60-day prison sentence for noncompliance and a one-year prison term for false answers.

What are 3 reasons why the census is important?

The census tells us who we are and where we are going as a nation, and helps our communities determine where to build everything from schools to supermarkets, and from homes to hospitals. It helps the government decide how to distribute funds and assistance to states and localities.

What is census purpose?

The census is a survey that takes place every 10 years. It gives us the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. The census asks questions about you, your household and your home. In doing so, it helps to build a detailed snapshot of our society.

What are disadvantage from the US census?

Cons. Limits other possible survey opportunities. Organizations cannot ask the same people to complete a survey time and time again. If you email your house list a survey, you have to respect their time.

What information do we get from census mention any five?

¡) population growth rate . ¡¡) Lifeexpectancy rate for a fixed tenure. ¡¡¡)birth rate. ¡v) death rate .

What are the advantages of survey?

Advantages of SurveysHigh Representativeness. Surveys provide a high level of general capability in representing a large population. ... Low Costs. ... Convenient Data Gathering. ... Good Statistical Significance. ... Little or No Observer Subjectivity. ... Precise Results.

How does the decennial census affect the state?

The decennial census provides a uniquely comprehensive data source. Its accuracy affects not only political representation but whether adequate funding is disbursed to where it is needed the most in areas ranging from potholes to health insurance to education. The degree to which an inaccurate count will impact state and local finances, particularly an undercount of specific population groups, varies from one location to another depending on their characteristics and the federal programs from which they receive assistance.

How is the federal medical assistance percentage calculated?

This rate, known as the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, depends on a state’s per capita income relative to the national average ( CHIP uses an “ enhanced FMAP “). For example, the federal share of Medicaid spending ranges from 50 percent in wealthier states to a maximum of 83 percent in poorer states. Annual population estimates derived from decennial census counts are used as the denominator in calculating these per capita amounts, while total personal income data come from a different source, the Bureau of Economic Analysis. If the population estimates are artificially low, the per capita income estimates will be too high – which means some states would not receive the full federal reimbursement to which they are entitled.

Why is the census important?

The U.S. decennial census is unique because it is an actual enumeration of the total population living in the United States, rather than a sample. The United States does not maintain a registry of all residents, unlike some European countries (see here for example). Administrative data sources, while increasingly valuable for research, fail to capture the full population. For example, IRS data only includes those who file taxes. Other frequently used government data sources, like the American Community Survey or Current Population Survey, are structured to sample from the full population (instead of conducting a comprehensive enumeration); moreover, these sources rely on the decennial census as a basis for determining the frame and selection of their samples (see here ). The comprehensiveness of the decennial census makes it an important data source for social scientists conducting research and for businesses making investment and expansion plans, among others.

What are the programs that are funded by census data?

In fiscal year 2015, census data were used to determine the allocation of $675 billion for 132 programs, including Medicaid, SNAP, the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, Head Start, and Highway Planning and Construction. The top five programs by amount of funds that used census-based population numbers and population characteristics to determine fund distribution in fiscal year 2015 were: Medicaid ($311 billion); the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP $71 billion); Medicare Part B ($70 billion); Highway Planning and Construction ($38 billion); and the Federal Pell Grant program ($29.9 billion), according to a Census report (for a full listing of programs see page 3 here .)

How often is the federal population count done?

Because the complete count of the full population is only every ten years, federal funds are distributed based on annual population estimates. The decennial census forms the backbone of these estimates: the Census Bureau uses data on births, deaths, and migration to update population estimates in between decennial census years. How the census data is used to determine funding varies from one program to another, as the examples below illustrate.

What is the purpose of Census data?

These programs rely on the Census for counts of school-aged children and children in poverty at the state and school district levels. Even though multiple data sources are used to allocate these funds, including the American Community Survey and administrative data, funding relies on annually updated Census population estimates.

How much money has California approved for media campaigns?

For example, California – which is at risk of losing one Congressional seat – has approved $100 million since 2017 to hire workers and pay for media campaigns with the aim of reaching people who are hard to count, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

How often is the US census conducted?

Besides the decennial census, which is conducted every ten years, the Census Bureau collects many different kinds of data through other censuses and surveys. The Census Bureau conducts other censuses regularly, including censuses of business and manufacturers and censuses of state and local governments. In addition, data is collected on a monthly basis to provide current information on such topics as unemployment rates, retail and wholesale trade, various manufacturing activities, and new housing construction, as well as yearly surveys on business, manufacturing, governments, family income, health, and education. Because the Census Bureau has vast experience in data collection and processing, it also conducts surveys for many other agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Center for Education Statistics, the National Science Foundation, and many more.

How often is the US housing survey conducted?

Unlike the 10-year census, the American Housing Survey is conducted every other year. The first AHS was conducted in 1973, under the name of the Annual Housing Survey. Per its name, the survey was conducted on an annual basis from 1973 to 1981, visiting the same housing units year after year. After that, it became biennial, therefore changing names to the American Housing Survey.

What is AHS survey?

The AHS is a longitudinal housing unit survey, which means it re-interviews the same housing units every other year to gather data. Census Bureau field representatives return to obtain a measure of the changes (or lack of changes) that have taken place in the number of houses available in the United States, the physical condition of the housing, ...

Why is the Census Bureau important?

Because of your cooperation and the cooperation of others, the Census Bureau is able to provide information that will aid the government in planning to meet the housing needs of the people in the United States. Your answers not only represent your household but thousands of others like yours.

How to verify employment with the Census Bureau?

When contacted about the American Housing Survey, a field representative will always show you an official identification card or provide you with his or her name and interviewer code to confirm employment with the Census Bureau. To verify that the phone call or visit is legitimate, please call your Census Bureau regional office and give them the name and/or interviewer code. You can find contact information for your region at www.census.gov/about/regions.html.

Why is the Census Bureau randomly selecting addresses?

Only a sample is selected because interviewing every address in the country would cost too much and take too long. Additionally, addresses from several metropolitan areas are randomly chosen for participation to supplement the national sample.

How to contact Census Bureau?

A Census Bureau field representative will contact you to help complete the survey. You can respond in one of the following ways: 1 By phone 2 In-person interview

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