Despite widespread uncertainty resulting from COVID-19, the 2020 Census continues. Conducted once every 10 years, the U.S. Census requires households to submit counts of and data about occupants at each address throughout the country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Prince George’s County had a 2.3 percent undercount rate when the last census was conducted in 2010; Greenbelt is considered one of the areas that is more difficult to count.
The coronavirus outbreak adds an extra layer of complexity to an already fraught ordeal. But that doesn’t make the census any less of a priority.
Jordan Baucum Colbert, an organizer with the 2020 Census, wants to assure residents that they can participate in the census without jeopardizing their health. Most households received an official invitation in March to respond to the Census, with an ID for completing the Census online. Residents can also respond via U.S. mail or by phone (see 2020census.gov/en/ways-to-respond.html ). Once the requested information is submitted, the obligation is finished and no followup is required.
Households that do not respond will receive a visit from a census taker sometime in June or later. These visits – and the deadline for completing the Census – have been delayed due to the coronavirus (see 2020census.gov/en/news-events/press-releases/statement-covid-19-2020.html ).
Completion of the census, Colbert explains, is actually closely connected to the unfolding public health situation. Prince George’s County undercount rate in 2010 translated into a loss of an “… estimated $363 million in federal funds.” As a result, the county is “strengthening its message on the importance of completing the Census as it relates to the access to healthcare, vaccinations and emergency resources in the midst of the current crisis.”
In an effort to boost participation, Colbert says the county has taken steps to extend its reach to the community. This, she assures the community, will not stop in light of COVID-19. She says the county is looking to local faith-based leaders, educators and nonprofit groups to help facilitate outreach that complies with social distancing regulations like “food distribution efforts, social media, email distribution lists and virtual phone banking efforts.”
What the next few months will look like remains unclear, but one thing remains certain: the 2020 Census is still taking place, and Prince George’s County is committed to making sure every household is counted.
Callie Tansill-Suddath is a University of Maryland graduate student in journalism reporting for the News Review.