Starting in March, the U.S. government will distribute the 2010 census questionnaire to every person in the country.
The census counts everyone currently living in the U.S. 18 or older, including citizens and non-citizens.
The questionnaire has ten questions or less, depending on the version. It asks name, sex, age, date of birth, race, and if the taker is of Hispanic origin. The U.S. Census Bureau website says it should take about ten minutes to complete.
Students living away from home will not be included on their parents’ census questionnaires, and will receive a separate form for themselves.
The form has to be completed in hard copy, and is not available for completion online.
For college students, there are two versions of the questionnaire, one for students living off-campus and one for those living on-campus.
The form for students in off-campus housing is called the “Residential Census Questionnaire,” and will be distributed either through the mail or by census distributors in person starting in March.
The form for those living on-campus is called the “Individual Census Report,” and will be distributed in April and May.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the on-campus designation includes residence halls, fraternities and sororities, and campus-owned apartments, so these places will receive their questionnaires slightly later than private residences.
All people currently living in the U.S. will be counted, regardless of immigration status or citizenship, so international students will need to fill out the form. Those studying abroad during March and April will not need to complete it.
If the form is not completed and returned by April 1, the household will receive a new form, and may be visited by a census representative to record the data in person.
Each census taker is responsible for returning their form through the mail. The return postage is paid for.
Justin Price, housing and residential education director, said he was contacted by census representatives in the fall to talk about the procedure for students living on-campus to complete the form.
Students living in residence halls will likely have floor meetings to complete the census forms, he said.
The forms will be distributed by mail to on-campus locations, and not by census distributors.
“They’re not going to be knocking on doors, we won’t let them into the residence halls,” said Price.
He said the procedure is not yet finalized for how students living on-campus will return the forms, though it will probably be individually through the mail or by collection at floor meetings.
The census representatives communicated to Price the need to complete and return all forms.
“Their expectation is 100 percent,” he said.
The census has been distributed every ten years since 1790, and helps allocate more than $400 billion across the country per year to local and state governments. It affects tuition grants and loans, transportation, public safety, medical care, and road repairs.
It also helps apportion seats in the House of Representatives.
For more information visit http://2010.census.gov/2010census/index.php.
