Enumerators started knocking on doors on Saturday, May 1, 2010, in the No Response Follow-Up (NRFU) phase of Census 2010. Their job is to help households get their information to the Census Bureau so that their information can be added to the statistics needed to meet the requirements established by the U.S. Constitution.
Personal data collected during the census is stripped from the data added to the statistics and held confidential for 72 years. Information released to the Census Bureau is not shared with any other governmental agencies.
Households who have completed one of the questionnaires mailed to them by the Census Bureau and who have not mailed them yet can hand them to the enumerator when he or she calls. That will speed the process and reduce the time the enumerator needs to take with the family.
The Census Bureau does not have names of people living at residences. Questionnaires were mailed to "residents." People who do not want to share their names can share other information and their names will not be collected. If you are a neighbor and know that a house near you was vacant on April 1, 2010 (Census Day), please tell the enumerator in your neighborhood so that time will not be lost waiting for someone to respond from an empty house.
In some neighborhoods, 80% of the residents have responded by mail. This probably means that the balance of households are either vacant or did not understand English. (The questions are available in 18 languages.)
After an in-person visit to each home that needs a questionnaire follow-up, telephone interviews work to gather the information required. While visits to homes to collect the information are budgeted to cost $57 dollars, that is much more than the enumerators make. Enumerators are required to visit homes in person at least three times. The quicker the enumerator can gather the information or determine that the house is vacant, the lower the cost of the in-person enumeration.
If a home needs a language other than English, they can tell the enumerator who will make a note on the questionnaire and someone will follow-up with the appropriate language. If someone in the household (especially 15 or above) is available to translate, that works, too.
Remember, each completed questionnaire generates about $19,400 in federal funds for highways, schools, etc. within a state as well ad contributing to the number of representatives for each state in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Showing posts with label 2010 Census. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010 Census. Show all posts
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Night Shift--Revisited--Experience Confirmed
Post for April 23, 2010
I received a call from the U.S. Census Bureau office in Elgin, IL, late in the afternoon of April 22, 2010, inviting me to help assemble materials for training scheduled next week for enumerators participating in the No Response Follow Up (NRFU) phase of Census 2010.
They needed help from Midnight to 8:30AM (an 8-hour shift with a mandatory 30-minute lunch) on Friday, April 23, 2010. I have had lots of experience with 24-hour shift work and working the night shift. From that experience, I know that it is not my best time to work. At the same time, as a professional trainer, I know how time-consuming it is to prepare training materials and how important it is to have the materials ready in time for the training. I agreed to come in at Midnight and arrived at the office in Elgin at midnight Friday morning (12:00AM).
Several members of the team I worked with during the Group Quarter Enumeration phase of Census 2010 had also volunteered to work the night shift. Some were working on computers, printing the final materials for the training binders. Others of us were working to assemble the map packets which will be provided to enumerators.
These map packets are divided into geographic areas assigned to Crew Leader Districts within a state and county area and are intended to allow enumerators to find the exact location of the places they are scheduled to visit. All of the details are confidential and there are lots and lots of Crew Leader Districts and maps to assemble. (A good GPS system will be lots more helpful than these maps, for enumerators who have the "high tech" capability.)
We worked throughout the night on assembling the map packets needed for the training and for the next phase of Census 2010. We took our mandatory lunch break at 4:00AM and went to a nearby Burger King with 24-hour drive-through Thursday through Saturday.
While the work was productive and I made a contribution to preparing the training materials for next week, I declined the invitation to come back from Midnight to 8:30AM on Saturday, April 24th. I knew that two days in a row of the night shift could have a significant impact on my health and readiness to do productive work during the day.
When I returned home about 9:30AM on April 23rd, I attempted to go to sleep. I used a blind fold (left over from air travel) to make the room dark. While I rested, I did not sleep well. I also didn't have the energy to get up and do my normal routines. I went to bed at my normal time Friday night and woke-up at a normal time on Saturday, April 24th. While I still fill a little "draggy," I am almost back to normal.
My experience of the night shift confirms my feelings posted earlier. While people can be productive on this shift and while certain jobs or situations may require the night shift from time to time, it is very hard to accommodate these hours in a "normal" sleep schedule. It also takes some time to recover from taking the time to work a night shift.
I received a call from the U.S. Census Bureau office in Elgin, IL, late in the afternoon of April 22, 2010, inviting me to help assemble materials for training scheduled next week for enumerators participating in the No Response Follow Up (NRFU) phase of Census 2010.
They needed help from Midnight to 8:30AM (an 8-hour shift with a mandatory 30-minute lunch) on Friday, April 23, 2010. I have had lots of experience with 24-hour shift work and working the night shift. From that experience, I know that it is not my best time to work. At the same time, as a professional trainer, I know how time-consuming it is to prepare training materials and how important it is to have the materials ready in time for the training. I agreed to come in at Midnight and arrived at the office in Elgin at midnight Friday morning (12:00AM).
Several members of the team I worked with during the Group Quarter Enumeration phase of Census 2010 had also volunteered to work the night shift. Some were working on computers, printing the final materials for the training binders. Others of us were working to assemble the map packets which will be provided to enumerators.
These map packets are divided into geographic areas assigned to Crew Leader Districts within a state and county area and are intended to allow enumerators to find the exact location of the places they are scheduled to visit. All of the details are confidential and there are lots and lots of Crew Leader Districts and maps to assemble. (A good GPS system will be lots more helpful than these maps, for enumerators who have the "high tech" capability.)
We worked throughout the night on assembling the map packets needed for the training and for the next phase of Census 2010. We took our mandatory lunch break at 4:00AM and went to a nearby Burger King with 24-hour drive-through Thursday through Saturday.
While the work was productive and I made a contribution to preparing the training materials for next week, I declined the invitation to come back from Midnight to 8:30AM on Saturday, April 24th. I knew that two days in a row of the night shift could have a significant impact on my health and readiness to do productive work during the day.
When I returned home about 9:30AM on April 23rd, I attempted to go to sleep. I used a blind fold (left over from air travel) to make the room dark. While I rested, I did not sleep well. I also didn't have the energy to get up and do my normal routines. I went to bed at my normal time Friday night and woke-up at a normal time on Saturday, April 24th. While I still fill a little "draggy," I am almost back to normal.
My experience of the night shift confirms my feelings posted earlier. While people can be productive on this shift and while certain jobs or situations may require the night shift from time to time, it is very hard to accommodate these hours in a "normal" sleep schedule. It also takes some time to recover from taking the time to work a night shift.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Support Information for U.S. Census 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census in the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the point of reference date used in filling out the form.[1]
The questions asked on each census are based on current conditions and vary. The data collected is protected by law. While summary data is made available for use by a wide variety of agencies, the detailed personal information is held on a strictly confidential basis. No ties to the data and the personal information collected are shared with any other agency.
The U.S. Census Bureau has developed a wide range of support information in various media formats to help people understand the purpose of the census and how it works.
As usual, scams have cropped up. The best source of data about the census is the official 2010 Census Website.
The questions asked on each census are based on current conditions and vary. The data collected is protected by law. While summary data is made available for use by a wide variety of agencies, the detailed personal information is held on a strictly confidential basis. No ties to the data and the personal information collected are shared with any other agency.
The U.S. Census Bureau has developed a wide range of support information in various media formats to help people understand the purpose of the census and how it works.
As usual, scams have cropped up. The best source of data about the census is the official 2010 Census Website.
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