2010 census: Young people have most at stake
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Josh Ramos (from left), Maher Yakub and Josue Rojas work on a census-themed mural in San Francisco.
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This month, the U.S. Census Bureau will be mailing out its questionnaire to every household in the country in preparation for April 1 - National Census Day.
The census is, in essence, a numerical and demographic snapshot of an evolving national populace, undertaken each decade since the first count in 1790.
The government uses the data for political apportionment (determining voting district lines and the number of seats each state occupies in the House of Representatives) and for the disbursement of federal funds for vital services - such as health care, public education, job training, infrastructure and emergency preparedness - to the tune of roughly $400 billion per year. It stands to reason that the stakes for an accurate census count are high.
Yet, given the extra hardships caused by the economic crisis - education cutbacks, foreclosures, joblessness - the census has taken on added importance. Perhaps it is more important than in 2000, when an estimated undercount of 1 million people caused California to lose out on billions of federal dollars.
In San Francisco alone, public officials and community advocates maintained that the city was undercounted by at least 100,000 in the last census, resulting in a loss of about $300 million over the past decade that otherwise would have supported city services.
Although history shows us that California's response rate to the census questionnaire has been on par with that of neighboring states (73 percent of Californians filled out the census questionnaire in 2000), the communities most in need of federal dollars at a local level are those who are the most likely to be undercounted. The Census Bureau has a name for these areas: Hard to Count Communities. According to its own analyses, Hard to Count Communities tend to be poor, ethnic and overwhelmingly young.
Ironically, one could argue that young people stand to lose the most from an undercount. It will be 10 years before teenagers today - middle and high school students - have another opportunity to be counted. Within that time, many of them might want to go to college. Many might need to participate in after-school programs. They might need foster care or child care for their own young ones. Many might be faced with being the primary caregiver for an ailing family member. The scenarios go on and on.
What if they don't get counted? How many Pell grants will there be to go around? Will there even be enough teachers in their overcrowded classroom to inspire them? Will there be enough slots in the after-school program? Will they have the option of receiving
The census is, in essence, a numerical and demographic snapshot of an evolving national populace, undertaken each decade since the first count in 1790.
The government uses the data for political apportionment (determining voting district lines and the number of seats each state occupies in the House of Representatives) and for the disbursement of federal funds for vital services - such as health care, public education, job training, infrastructure and emergency preparedness - to the tune of roughly $400 billion per year. It stands to reason that the stakes for an accurate census count are high.
Yet, given the extra hardships caused by the economic crisis - education cutbacks, foreclosures, joblessness - the census has taken on added importance. Perhaps it is more important than in 2000, when an estimated undercount of 1 million people caused California to lose out on billions of federal dollars.
In San Francisco alone, public officials and community advocates maintained that the city was undercounted by at least 100,000 in the last census, resulting in a loss of about $300 million over the past decade that otherwise would have supported city services.
Although history shows us that California's response rate to the census questionnaire has been on par with that of neighboring states (73 percent of Californians filled out the census questionnaire in 2000), the communities most in need of federal dollars at a local level are those who are the most likely to be undercounted. The Census Bureau has a name for these areas: Hard to Count Communities. According to its own analyses, Hard to Count Communities tend to be poor, ethnic and overwhelmingly young.
Ironically, one could argue that young people stand to lose the most from an undercount. It will be 10 years before teenagers today - middle and high school students - have another opportunity to be counted. Within that time, many of them might want to go to college. Many might need to participate in after-school programs. They might need foster care or child care for their own young ones. Many might be faced with being the primary caregiver for an ailing family member. The scenarios go on and on.
What if they don't get counted? How many Pell grants will there be to go around? Will there even be enough teachers in their overcrowded classroom to inspire them? Will there be enough slots in the after-school program? Will they have the option of receiving
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/13/ING01CD7H3.DTL#ixzz0iAIm3NpE