Access Aisle Interview: Your Census Questions Answered!

In this episode of the Access Aisle, Able SC’s Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement, Robbie Kopp, and Advocacy Coordinator Tiffany Namey team up with Assistant Regional Census Manager Marilyn Stephens to bust some myths and share some facts about the U.S. Census. In this episode, the hosts discuss why it is important for people with disabilities to be counted, how the 2020 Census is the most accessible census in history, how the current pandemic has impacted the census, and much more.

Episode Guest: Marilyn Stephens: Assistant Regional Census Manager for the Atlanta Region

Marilyn Stephens is one of the most requested Census Bureau speakers. The Miami, Florida native earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing. Marilyn currently serves the Census Bureau as the Assistant Regional Census Manager for the Atlanta Region which is responsible for census operations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. In this capacity, she manages the community engagement and partnership program throughout the region. Moreover, she meets with and serves as the agency’s liaison to the region’s seven governors. 

In November 2003, she received the Bronze Medal Award, the highest meritorious honor given by the U.S. Census Bureau. Also, she is the chairperson of the South Florida Federal Executive Board. The Federal Executive Board system was the creation of President John F. Kennedy (reauthorization is granted by each subsequent President).

 

Credits:

'Access Aisle' is produced by Robbie Kopp, Tiffany Namey, and Sarah Nichols. Our editor is Robbie Kopp. Able South Carolina.

 

Disclaimer:

Able South Carolina is providing this podcast as a public service, but it is neither a legal interpretation nor a statement of local, state, or federal legislation or policy. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Able South Carolina. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by Able South Carolina interns, board members, and staff are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Able South Carolina or any of its funders. If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact our Director of Advocacy and Community Access.

 

Transcript:

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00:14 Tiffany Namey: It has been 10,875 days since the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed.

00:22 Robbie Kopp: And you are parked in the Access Aisle.

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00:32 RK: My name is Robbie Kopp, the Director of Advocacy and Community Access at Able South Carolina.

00:37 TN: And I am Tiffany Namey, the Advocacy Coordinator for Able South Carolina.

00:41 RK: Today, we are gonna take on your questions about the census and make sure you are comfortable, confident and ready to get your census questionnaire in and done. Joining us today is Marilyn Stephens, Assistant Regional Census Manager for the Atlanta Region of the United States Census Bureau. We're gonna be asking Marilyn your questions that you share here with us and make sure that you have everything you need in order to stand up and be counted for the 2020 US Census. So Marilyn, welcome, so glad to have you with us.

01:10 Marilyn Stephens: It's my absolute pleasure. Thank you for inviting me.

01:13 RK: Yeah, absolutely. So we're gonna start with a really easy question, hopefully, but Marilyn, tell us what is the census and why does it matter?

01:21 MS: Based on Article One, Section Two of the United States Constitution, every 10 years, and really, we are sitting in zero, the Census Bureau is tasked with counting the entire population of the United States. The purpose of the census is for apportionment to determine how many seats each state gets in Congress, and that really determines that state's voice. So the more seats you have, the bigger your voice. Well, Congress has changed over time since the first census was taken in 1790, it went from 65 to 103, now to 435, where it stands. So the census is about political power, and it's about money. States depend on the $675 billion in resources that are allocated from the federal government down to the states every year. And in those funding formulas, the basis is census data.

02:29 RK: So that's really incredible. So folks that are really interested in the political voice of South Carolina, making sure that we have a fair and accurate count in a state where we expect that there's been a population increase can change into more congressional seats and greater representation in the United States House, and that's really helpful to know. And tell me that number again, Marilyn. Let's drive home that point of how much money is really at stake when it comes to the formula for apportionment.

03:00 MS: It's $675 billion. That's $7 trillion over a decade. So it gets to be real money.

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03:08 TN: That is a lot of money.

03:11 RK: Real money is such a huge understatement. Yeah, that's a $7 trillion impact over the next 10 years and making sure that South Carolina gets its piece of the pie.

03:21 TN: For people with disabilities, Robbie, that money goes to programs like SNAP, and what other kinds of programs might that go to, do you think, that would impact the lives of people with disabilities?

03:34 RK: The transportation dollar is a really big piece of that too, that we can't overlook. Marilyn, tell us some of the other ways that that $7 trillion kinda breaks down into programs for real people on the ground.

03:46 MS: Medicaid, Medicare, TANF, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, education programs, libraries, veterans, senior services, so the entire plethora of federal programs, all of them impact people with disabilities.

04:10 RK: For sure.

04:10 MS: Because of their families, because of their children, because of their communities. Highway construction and planning, emergency preparedness, community health clinics, all of these things are heavily impacted because of census numbers.

04:27 RK: Absolutely. So it's really clear and really hearing all of the programs that are impacted by the census numbers, I mean it's clear that the disability community is impacted and what services are available and provided. So let's talk just a little bit about how to get the census done. What are some of the questions that folks can expect as they complete the census?

04:48 MS: Well, the good thing is the census is simple. We don't deal with a lot of questions, and people really like that about the census. We ask for your name, we ask for your sex, we ask for your birthdate, and we ask if you are of Hispanic origin, we ask your race. Now, if there are others in the household, we ask what is their relationship to you. And household relationship has been on the census questionnaire since 1880. So it's not really a new question. It's about 10 questions, a little less than that, and it takes about 10 minutes.

05:29 RK: Yeah, and I think that's the thing that folks sometimes miss is that we hear a lot of information about the census, I think there are a lot of community reminders, and it also seems like never quite enough of those community reminders, but the time that it takes to really complete the census is next to nothing. Our household, we did the census the first week that it was available online, and it took... I think we did it in like seven minutes for the three of us and it was really, really simple.

06:00 MS: Yes. And I think that this census cycle is the first time that we had so many options to participate. In the previous cycles, we'll email the questionnaire out and you send the questionnaire back to us. And this time, with all the options of online, telephone and by mail, I think that people with disabilities have been giving us really positive feedback about this was just ideal.

06:27 RK: Yeah, and that's really great to hear. I think in 2020, it makes sense for us to do things online and make sure that that online information is accessible because technology is making... It's leveling the playing field for folks with and without disabilities and making sure that there's access to participation and information. It was so glad to hear that the Census Bureau has been making that leap along with the times. We wanna talk more about those formats. Before we do that, I wanna ask just a couple of other questions that I know that folks may have been a little nervous about and just wanna make sure that we have a clear answer on whether that's asked. So first, we had a question that says, will I be asked for my social security number in the census?

07:07 MS: No. And we've had people that see the boxes on the bottom of that first question, and they think it's for social security number. It's for your telephone number. So if in fact, we need to contact you, for any reason, we will do that. And it's not for telemarketing. We're not gonna use information any other way. But if we have to contact you for whatever reason, we will. Other than that, no, we do not ask for your social security number, or your bank number.

07:34 RK: That was gonna be my next question. You took the words right out of my mouth. So there... The banking question, none of that is necessary, none of that is part of the census and neither is the social security number.

07:45 MS: It is not. This is a surveys that your listeners may be a part of. We don't ask for social security numbers on the other sets of surveys because they may be in sample for another census survey.

08:00 RK: Okay, well that's really helpful to know too. Yeah, great. I think that the social security number question and the question about financial information or banking information, we all and rightfully so, really wanna protect that and make sure that it's not shared. So listeners hear us, it's not part of the census. Don't delay in completing the census for fear of having to share a social security number or any banking information. It's not part of it.

08:25 MS: Right. If you're part of the American Community Survey, we do ask some income questions on the American Community Survey. But it's not about asking what your bank account is or your routing numbers. It's about asking a range of your income, the types of investments. And this is part of going to the economic indicators on the American Community Survey. But no, we're not asking for bank numbers and social security numbers or anything.

08:51 RK: Good. We've talked about just the short number of questions that there actually are and how we would say they're non-invasive. They're not prying questions, they're not sensitive questions, but the census is brief and easy. Tell me about the security of the data that is collected from the census. How can people know that their information is kept safe?

09:14 MS: Absolutely. This the number one question that we get, what about my privacy and my confidentiality? Census data is protected by two laws, Title 13, of the United States Code and Title 44. Under Title 13, the Census Bureau cannot publish anything that will identify an individual or household or even an establishment on our economic surveys that will show where you live, that you gave us this answer. In other words, it won't say, "Marilyn Stephens says that she is 21." Again. And it won't say that Marilyn Stephens lives here in Nevada, it won't say any of that, or North Carolina, it's just an aggregate of data. The number... Just age ranges, how many people are male, how many people are female, how many people own a home with a mortgage, how many people own a home without a mortgage. What types of relationships, How many have spouses, how many are children, how many are in-laws, how many are parents. So we don't publish anything that will identify you or your household with any response you've given to me.

10:31 MS: Then title 13 goes a step further. Census data cannot be gathered by anybody. Nobody from law enforcement, no CIA, no FBI, not even the IRS on that even ICE not even immigration cannot be subpoenaed by the courts, cannot be gathered by the President. No one can get census data. Census data is floating out here on this island, that's highly protected. Under Title 44, the other law that protects census data, census data is sealed for 72 years. Therefore, those genealogists that are your listeners are wondering when is the next release of census data, the last release was in 2012 for the 1940 census, because the 72-year threshold of the title 44 had been met. The 1950 census will be released in 2022. And that would be the latest census to be in the public domain.

11:31 MS: So census data is protected. However, if for any reason similar to what happened during the Katrina catastrophe in the Gulf Coast, and you have to be relocated and you don't have any identification, through the Census Bureau's age search program there's a BC, Bravo Charlie, 600 form where you can request... I can't request your information, only you can. And we will send you a document that says you are Marilyn Stephens, you were this age during a decennial census, and you can use that to get entitlements, to get a passport. And literally to put your life back together.

12:13 RK: That's really amazing. So the data is, I mean, it sounds like it is incredibly well protected from even federal agencies, but when you need it as an individual, if something unbelievable happened, something terrible or a disaster, you can get access back to your own information to confirm your own identity?

12:34 MS: Absolutely.

12:35 RK: That's amazing. It sounds like it's set up to really serve the public benefit in the least of risk way possible.

12:44 MS: Absolutely. I'm telling you, when people say, "Well, this is private or confidential." You get something in the mail that privacy policy has changed, the first thing I look for is it under Title 13? [chuckle] Because I know that it's protected by law and all census employees are covered under the law on a lifetime sworn status, lifetime sworn status. In the old days, our grandparents talked about taking things to your grave. Well, I think the lawmakers heard that and made that Title 13. Because we have lifetime sworn status, we cannot release... We cannot reveal anything that we know will identify you or your household. That can lead to a prison term and/or a quarter of a million dollar fine.

13:31 TN: It sounds like that census information really can save your life though, it's just a really good backup. It takes 10 minutes and you've given yourself an insurance policy to have your information protected.

13:45 MS: Yes, and just think, for any reason, if your children need information about themselves. Because often, parents are leaving their children off of the census questionnaire. And we don't know why. So we have made an all-out effort this census to have parents to understand the importance of counting all their children in the census.

14:09 TN: Well, Marilyn that brings up my question. I've heard of specific populations being referred to as "hard-to-count". What is a hard-to-count population?

14:21 MS: Hard-to-count populations are those populations that are traditionally... That have been disenfranchised over the history of the nation, therefore, they have been... People... It's been handed down through the years about different reasons that you don't wanna participate in the census. So minority groups, people with disabilities, they have been traditionally hard-to-count. Mistrust of government, afraid that what they provide to the government will be used against them in an adverse manner. High poverty areas, low educational attainment, immigrant populations, those are traditional populations that shy away from being involved in anything that pertains to the government, and particularly, the census.

15:07 TN: And you said that the disability community is traditionally a hard-to-count community.

15:12 RK: Absolutely. One of the things is the fact that we have to do special outreach because people are saying, "Because of my disability, how is this gonna help me? How is participating in this census really going to help me?" That's what everybody wants to know. "What's in it for me? How is this going to help me, this civic ceremony?" So, we have in the last three census I've been involved in, there has been a concerted effort in outreach to the disability community to raise awareness on the importance of the census. To securing resources over a decade. People with disabilities have children that are in school. People with disabilities of course, need healthcare services. People with disabilities need Medicare. People with disabilities are very concerned about how a construction and planning and having good roads in their places. Very concerned about transportation... Their transportation needs. So our ability to connect with the community to explain the importance of the census, and call it once a decade reset. That all of us get this once a decade reset to chart the course and solidify the direction of that pipeline of resources that we're going to get annually.

16:35 TN: So, does the census actually ask any questions about disability?

16:40 MS: Not on the... Not on the 2020 census questionnaire. We do ask questions about disability on the American Community Survey questionnaire. So, many of your listeners will... I've gotten calls already. There's people who say, "I've got this in the mail. It says, "The American Community Survey", what is that? Should I do that and the census?" And the answer is yes. And there are questions on the American Community Survey about disabilities.

17:06 TN: If there are no questions about disability, then why is it important to make sure the disability community is counted correctly? We talked about "What's in it for us?", but what's in it for you? What happens if we're undercounted?

17:23 MS: One of the things is that... That came out in our summit for people with disabilities that we had earlier last year, representation. And that's one of the things that we wanna press upon people. Congressional representation is the key, is the primary reason we take a census, that's the key. So when people with disabilities go to their congress person, they want to make sure that they are included in that number so that they're getting to represent... The people that represent them. So when they go to their congressmen and say "And we know that our populations are substantial, we live in this area, we've got another congressional seat, and we need some services." But because the numbers are the things that count, because all of us are the same in a census. And all of us are looking to be able to get certain kinds of representation. One of the things that I say, there would not be any minority-congressional caucuses without the census. And most people don't know that.

18:31 TN: So the one concern and you just touched on this a little bit before, but the one concern that we've heard a lot is is that people with disabilities are afraid to fill out the census or may just be a little hesitant about the census because they think that their information may be used against them or that they could lose their benefits.

18:53 MS: No. One of the things is that in some communities, there is a restriction on who can be in that household. Some of them have a person restriction where it pertains to... If you have non-relatives there are gonna be so many, the census doesn't deal with any of that. Because no one sees your information. Therefore, you can be 100% accurate on the count because it's for apportionment. No one, not the city officials, not the code enforcement people. No one. But when you are not counted in a census and your city, or town, or county, or village, is short on emergency management resources or they have to scale back on transportation services, it's because the census numbers do not support the need, which is the basis for the funding formula.

19:51 RK: It's so important as we look at the programs and services that are provided and what's available in the community, knowing that being under-counted or not participating in the census makes it so that we may end up finding reductions to what South Carolina is allocated to use for the public benefit. And I don't think that's anything that the South Carolinian wants. We wanna make sure that South Carolina gets its fair share.

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20:33 RK: We've talked so far about what the census is and why it's important. We've talked about some of the fears that folks may have with participating and I think we put all of those to rest, which is really amazing. So let me... I wanna return to a point that you had made earlier and maybe dive down a little bit deeper. You mentioned that there are more ways than ever in the 2020 census, to complete the questionnaire.

20:57 MS: Yes.

20:57 RK: So tell me... Give us a reminder of how folks can complete the census.

21:02 MS: First, people can complete the census online at my2020census.gov. And you can complete it online in language because this census, we are supporting 11 non-English languages. Or call a toll-free number at 1-844-330-2020. And we'll provide to you, Robbie and Tiffany, a fact sheet that you can make available to your podcast listeners, that will provide them with other information about the census and how to respond, and to ensure that it is accessible for them with the TDD number as well.

21:49 RK: That's great. I think you're really prying for where I wanted to go next with some of the questions that we've gotten, and that is the accessibility of the different formats of the questionnaire and how it's available. So can you comment on how accessible the online version of the census is, for folks who may have a visual disability, and use a screen reader?

22:10 MS: Yes. The Census Bureau's website has to be in compliant with the law, that's number one. Because I'm asked that all the time, "Is the Census Bureau's site in compliant with the law as it pertains to people with disabilities?" And the answer to that is yes, it is. Every other precaution has been taken as well. There's even a Braille of questionnaire assistance guide that we've had in previous census cycles and we will get some in-house that we'll be able to distribute to persons that request them, also for those that have the special printer. They will be able to print that particular Braille guide out and have that guide. There are also some large print questionnaire assistance guides for those persons that may want to complete their paper questionnaire. So we have taken every... We've looked at every conceivable way to ensure that everybody is included in this census.

23:09 RK: Yeah, and that's really evident. I get to ask folks about accessibility pretty often in the work that I do. And if I can ask someone one accessibility question and they tell me about all of the alternative formats for a particular population and they're able to work ahead of me in that way, that's always a really encouraging sign. I did ask that question, knowing the answer. We've had a friend who is a South Carolina constituent, she uses a screen reader, and she kind of tore through her census, got it done really quickly, and then shared one of these questions with us afterwards that has already been answered. But her comment was that it was so easy to use and incredibly accessible, that it was quick and easy for her to do for her family, which is great.

23:55 MS: Yeah. What we really want your listeners to do, is to... We want to become a circle of 10. Once you complete yours, call 10 of your friends, neighbors, and associates and say, "Have you completed the 2020 census? It's important and it's really easy and it's safe." And let's expand our circle of 10, and see how far your circle of 10 extends.

24:19 TN: We're encouraging everyone when they fill out their census to use #morethananumber and #disabilitycounts2020 and share with us on social media that you have been counted, because we want to know that you're filling out the census. But we also want you to tell everyone else that you're filling out the census too, 'cause you are an example to people in your life, and they go, "Hey, you know? I should probably be doing that too. That's a good reminder. Thanks."

24:54 MS: And also, use #2020census so the Census Bureau will be able to pick up on it.

25:00 RK: Yeah, that's awesome. I think as folks complete the census, it's important to tell that story and to have that story spread. So we even talked a little bit about completing the census for someone who may be deaf you mentioned TTY and TDD to make sure that folks can access information over the phone or over the phone lines, if they have a hearing disability. So I think that that's all really, really helpful information. So any listener who has not yet completed your census questionnaire, we're kind of taking away your excuse. It's time to hop to it and get it done. With that in mind, I do wanna ask another question. If someone is going to complete it and they just need a little extra help or a little support as they go through, how can they ask for help?

25:48 MS: Yes, they could call our toll-free number at 1-844-330-2020, and we have representatives that will take the information by phone. You could actually complete your questionnaire by telephone.

26:03 RK: That's great. So don't forget that toll-free number, it's important to ask for help when you need it, and don't use that as an excuse to not get the census done. I do wanna ask, there's just a couple of questions. We're living in really interesting times right now with a lot of risk in the community and practicing social distancing, can you comment have there been impacts to the 2020 census from COVID-19?

26:30 MS: Yes, we paused all of our public contact operations a few weeks ago. And so we are using contacting our partners through social media, the various platforms. We took our staff out the field, so that's been a little different. Also, the online... The self-response rather, the self-response period was from March 12th through July 31st and it's now March 12th through August 14th. That has been extended. But we want people to complete today. We want you to, 'cause every day, every day the response rates are published every day. So the national response rate now is at 48.1%. So you definitely want to... Some of your listeners may have challenges with their friends like I do with my friends. So every day we decide who wins the day, who has the highest response rate for the day. And anybody whose state is like an outlier, we take them out the group. [chuckle] We wanna make it easy for the remainder of us. So they may want to do that. So the national response rate now is at 48.1% as of today.

27:49 RK: Yeah, that's really good to know. And as of today, our record date is April 13th. So as of right now, that's the daily response rate. And it will be different the time that this podcast is released and different a week after that and a week after that.

28:04 MS: Absolutely.

28:05 RK: But it's good to know where we stand. With the traditional idea of census, there's always that image of a census worker going door-to-door and checking in with families on households, is that process going to be different? I know we'd prefer to not need folks going door-to-door and knocking because the census can be completed online and by phone. But is that process gonna be adjusted at all given the coronavirus?

28:33 RK: Well, we have moved that process back, it's been... Normally it would start mid-May. So that operation has been moved back. We don't know when we will start it and the new procedures we have yet to see those.

28:46 RK: Okay. So those are in consideration and I'm glad that the Census Bureau is really thinking through that and watching out for your people and then making sure that your workers are gonna be safe.

28:57 RK: Social distancing is heavily practiced as well as no public contact operations.

29:04 MS: Great. I think it's so important for us to think about what this might look like a few, a couple of months from now or a month from now when we start seeing those fieldworkers out going door-to-door because we can prevent them from needing to come to our door by completing our census today and making sure that our household is counted.

29:24 TN: Correct.

29:26 RK: Absolutely fantastic.

29:27 TN: That is for sure.

29:28 MS: That's what we want everybody to do. And now it's because it's so easy with the options. Last week the households that had not responded received a paper questionnaire. Therefore they have all three options in their heads, online, telephone and paper.

29:44 RK: That's great and that's more than enough for you listeners as you listen at home or as you listen in the backyard or the balcony of your apartment as you social distance. No matter where you are, you can do it right now. You can do it over the internet, you can do it on your smartphone, you can dial the old fashioned way from your phone and make sure that you get the census completed or you can send that questionnaire in in the mail and get it done and help keep a field worker from knocking on your door. I think with all of that in mind, we've really driven home how important the census is and how it directs federal dollars that we really rely on for really important programs and services from transportation to Medicaid and Medicare and snap and tennis and the list goes on and on.

30:33 RK: Making sure that South Carolina is allocated our fair share. We've also talked about some of the fears that folks might have about the census and really laid those aside knowing that the census is simple and it's safe and it isn't intrusive, it's not collecting information that'll make us uncomfortable and a little bit that is collected is also protected. And we've also talked about how accessible it is and how easy it is to get it done and to get it done now. I wanna say thanks to all the listeners that have sent in questions and participated in this process with us. I wanna thank you Marilyn so much for spending this time with us.

31:11 TN: Thank you Marilyn.

31:11 RK: And answering our questions and helping us feel comfortable and confident. 

31:14 MS: Thank you for inviting me.

31:16 TN: Yay, Marilyn.

31:20 RK: So glad to have you. So one last note, completing the 2020 census is quick and easy. Do it now. Once you do it, share it on social media. Use hashtags, #morethananumber #disabilitycounts2020 and tell us your hashtag again Marilyn?

31:37 MS: #2020census.

31:39 RK: And share it loud and proud and be counted.

31:44 TN: Able South Carolina is here for you and we want you to be here with us. So subscribe to our email, like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter or contact us by phone. You have been parked in the Access Aisle, a production of Able South Carolina.