Friday, April 28, 2000
Census-takers hit streets for count
Didn't mail in form? Expect knock on door
By Michael D. Clark
The Cincinnati Enquirer
UNION TOWNSHIP — Lori Seelig spent hours Thursday in a Butler County neighborhood trying to find somebody home in one of the more than 42 million U.S. households targeted for a census visit.
Equipped with questionnaires, a U.S. Department of Commerce satchel and an identification badge, Ms. Seelig began the often-laborious task of trying to interview some of the thousands of Tristate residents who did not mail in their census forms.
Throughout the nation, hundreds of thousands of enumerators fanned out into neighborhoods on the first day of the last phase of the census data-collection effort. From now through July 7, census-takers will be calling and visiting homes.
Stopping on various streets in a Union Township community off Rialto Road, Ms. Seelig finally got lucky when she caught Alka Patel about to drive off.
Ms. Patel told the U.S. Census Bureau enumerator that she had not received a mailed questionnaire but was happy to be interviewed.
“Most people are very helpful,” Ms. Seelig said. “But we know that we will get people who just don't want to do it.”
“It was not difficult. And it's important to the community,” said Ms. Patel, referring to the federal and state monies and political redistricting tied to the national, once-a-decade census.
Ms. Seelig said she explained to Ms. Patel that census information is protected by federal confidentiality laws. Since Ms. Patel's household was to have received a short census form, the interview took about 10 minutes. If a household has received a long census form, the interview might take about 30 minutes.
The number of households assigned to each enumerator varies, but the average is about 40, officials said.
Mike Frilling, assistant manager of field operations for the Hamilton office of the U.S. Census Bureau, suggested that those who did not mail back a census form and would rather avoid being interviewed should fill out the form now and then hand it over to the enumerator. “That way it will save us all time and problems,” said Mr. Frilling, who is coordinating enumerators in Butler, Warren, Clermont and Preble counties.
Nationally, about 78 million of the 120 million forms mailed were returned to the Census Bureau.Southwest Ohio communities near Cincinnati had mail response rates of 60 percent to 80 percent. In Cincinnati, the return rate was 56 percent.
Mr. Frilling said the first day went smoothly. He said enumerators are identifiable by ID badges and are under orders never to request to come into a home.
Cynthia King, spokeswoman for the Cincinnati office of the U.S. Census Bureau, said more than 200 enumerators were out in the city's neighborhoods Thursday.
“So far everything is going well. It's important for people to remember that it's not too late to be counted,” said Ms. King.
Jim Duff, local census office manager for Hamilton County, also reported no problems as 300 enumerators began working the county outside Cincinnati city limits.
The canvass in Northern Kentucky will begin Saturday.
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