Alert! The time to respond in Census 2020 is running out

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the 2020 Census?

The goal of the census is to count everyone who lives in the United States, to count them only once and in the correct place. Section 2 of Article 1 of the US Constitution provides that this population and housing count be carried out every 10 years. Census data helps decide how more than $ 675 billion of federal funds are distributed to states and communities each year.

Should I respond to the 2020 Census?

Yes. You are required by law to respond to the 2020 Census (US Code Sections 141 and 193 of Title 13). We are conducting the 2020 Census in accordance with Sections 141, 193 and 221 of Title 13 of the US Code.This collection of information has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB, for its acronym in English). OMB's eight-digit approval number is 0607-1006. If this number is not shown, we will not be able to carry out the census.

Are my responses kept confidential and private?

Yes. The Census Bureau is required by law to protect your information. The Census Bureau is not allowed to release your answers in such a way that you or your household can be identified. According to the Federal Law for the Strengthening of Computer Security of 2015, your data is protected from internet security risks through controls in the systems that transmit your data. All data sent over the internet is encrypted to protect your privacy.

Title 13 of the US Code protects the confidentiality of all your information. Violating the confidentiality of a respondent is a federal crime with serious penalties, including a sentence of up to five years in federal prison, a fine of up to $ 250,000, or both. Only authorized persons have access to the collected data, and the information you provide to the Census Bureau may only be used by a limited number of authorized persons who have vowed for life to protect the confidentiality of their individual responses. No government agency or court can use your answers against you.

For more information on how we protect your information, visit our website at census.gov and click on “Data Protection and Privacy Policy” at the bottom of the home page. This page also includes information on the collection, storage and use of these records. Click on “Notice about the System of Written Records (SORN)” and look for the Notice about the System of Records of the COMMERCE / CENSUS-5 Privacy Act, Decennial Census Program.

Who must complete the 2020 Census questionnaire?

The 2020 Census questionnaire must be completed by the homeowner or person who rents it, or anyone who is at least 15 years old and knows about the home.

How can I change my answers?

For questions where you have to select only one answer from a list, selecting another option will change your answer to that question.

For a “select all that apply” question, you can click a selected box to deselect it and remove it from your responses.

How long will the 2020 Census questionnaire take?

The Census Bureau estimates that completing the questionnaire will take 10 minutes on average.

How will the Census Bureau use the information I provide?

By law, the Census Bureau can use your answers only to produce statistics.

Is it safe to complete the 2020 Census questionnaire online?

Yes. For each online questionnaire, we are required to provide an explanation to respondents about the confidentiality of the data and the laws that protect that data (for example, Section 9 [a] of Title 13 of the US Code. .).

According to the Federal Law for the Strengthening of Computer Security of 2015, your data is protected from internet security risks through controls in the systems that transmit your data. All data sent over the internet is encrypted to protect your privacy, even in the remote case that your responses are intercepted.

More information on this subject can be found on the Census Bureau's Privacy and Data Protection Standards website, (https://www.census.gov/privacy/).

Will the results be published?

Yes. By law, the Census Bureau can use your answers only to produce statistics. The Census Bureau is not allowed to release your answers in such a way that you or your household can be identified. The Census Bureau plans to make the results of this study available to the public. Results will be presented in summary form and no personally identifiable information will be published.

Information quality is an integral part of the Census Bureau's pre-release information review (which is fully described in the Census Bureau's Information Quality Standards at https: // www. census.gov/about/policies/quality/guidelines.html). The quality of the information is integral to the compilation of the information carried out by the Census Office and is incorporated into the authorization process of the Law on the Reduction of Procedures.

Do I have to complete the 2020 Census questionnaire for members of my household?

Yes, you will be asked to provide information for each household member.