America is changing and so is the census

By DWIGHT P. DEAN
SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR
The American Community Survey is a new way of taking the census. The last census occurred in 2000 and every household in the country received a questionnaire. The U.S. Constitution requires that the census be taken and the results are used to apportion seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and redistrict state legislatures.
Most households in 2000 received a "short form," which contained seven basic questions. A sample of households received a "long form," which contained additional questions and provided information on what a community looks like. For instance, how many residents have high school diplomas or college degrees, where is the greatest need for job training programs. The American Community Survey benefits us by providing updated information every year -- we don't have to wait 10 years.
A moving picture
The American Community Survey, part of the U.S. Census Bureau's effort to streamline and improve the census, will replace the long form and provide communities a vibrant, moving picture every year instead of once every 10 years. The data will be available for governmental areas with populations of 65,000 or more in 2006 and smaller areas beginning in 2008. One local official said, "We are in very fast moving times now and 10 years is like an eternity. If we wait for data for 10 years, we are spending five years putting in resources where we may not need them and missing places where we really should be putting our resources."
The American Community Survey benefits local government by providing updated information every year. Communities across the country can use the information to help determine where to build new roads, schools and senior centers. The information can be used to locate everything from coffee shops and hardware stores to bus stops and to determine which areas need bilingual police officers and paramedics.
Every county involved
The ACS is mailed to a sample of households in all 3,233 U.S. counties and in Puerto Rico each month. These mailings began in late 2004. In the Detroit region, which covers the states of Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, the survey is mailed to 255,000 households annually. No address will receive the survey more often than once every five years.
Responding to the American Community Survey is mandatory, according to Title 13 of the United States Code. The same law that requires participation also protects the responses on the questionnaire. Census Bureau employees are sworn to protect the confidentiality of information collected in the survey.
X Dwight P. Dean, director of the Detroit Regional Office of the U.S. Census Bureau, submitted this in response to question raised in the Mahoning Valley by some residents who received surveys. Additional information about the American Community Survey is available on the Web at www.census.gov/acs/www.