Census Workers Knocking on Doors as Non-Response Follow-Up (NRFU) Phase of Census 2010 Gets Underway

Seventy-one percent of California’s households participated in the 2010 Census by mail. Check out this map to track census participation rates in your city or county: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/. With congressional seats at stake in California, census takers begin the task of going door-to-door to obtain census responses in person.

The City of Fresno continues to promote Census Complete Count efforts thanks to a grant from the Fresno Regional Foundation. As temperatures begin to rise in the Valley, city workers and volunteers distributed ice cream to encourage census participation in a tract with lower response. The Census continues to be mentioned at community events and the latest in a series of multi-lingual radio and TV PSAs about Census 2010 let residents know that Census enumerators will be in their neighborhood.

While Santa Clara County tied for second place in the state with a mail participation of 75% it continues its efforts during the NRFU phase in collaboration with the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), community-based organizations and ethnic media outlets. Advertising through Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) includes bus wraps, bus tails, car cards, bus and light rail shelters and the message in English, Spanish and Vietnamese reads, “The Census isn’t over! Open your door to a Census taker and open the door to your future.” Community-based organizations have incorporated NRFU strategies into their outreach at community events and via door-to-door canvassing. Radio talk shows as well as public service announcements in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese are informing Santa Clara’s ethnically diverse residents about census takers knocking on their doors. Local law enforcement has also been notified of the NRFU operation and information is being provided to local elected officials for inclusion in their constituent newsletters.

Please tell us your story about efforts as part of the “Non-Response Follow-Up” phase of Census 2010 at www.ca-ilg.org/publicengagementstoryform or email mhassan@ca-ilg.org.