The Census in the United States is conducted by the Census Bureau and every person living in the United States is counted by the authorities. The Census Bureau is the largest statistical agency of the US government. The Census results are of paramount importance as they determine the funds to be allocated by the federal government for the communities and states. The US has counted its population every ten years, starting from 1790. The Census count and the participation in it are very important for the State of Arkansas as every year. It receives around 7 billion federal dollars based on the Census results. The funds are essential for development in education, transportation, community development, public housing, etc.
Every household in Arkansas got an invitation to participate in the Census 2020. They were asked to respond in either of the three ways—mail, online, or by phone. The census exercise is not intrusive as it asks only necessary information such as age, sex, race, and relationship to the head of the household. Despite all efforts, many states like Arkansas suffer from low participation. The people fail to understand that low turnout in the Census can have grave effects. Not many people are aware that every unaccounted person in Arkansas will result in a loss of USD 3000 per year for the next ten years, at least. So even if 1% of the state population is undercounted, it would lose almost USD 750 million in federal funds.
So, the Governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, and the Mayor of Fort Smith, George McGill, urged the people of Arkansas to participate in the Census diligently and respond to the call for the Census before it gets completed last day of October. The people can fill out the form or respond to the Census employee when he knocks on the door. It is that simple. No wonder, the Governor and the Mayor are determined to get a complete count for the state.
As per the latest reports, Arkansas’s response rate was a shade above 57%, which was below the national average. The call to respond to Census is bound to get louder as the final response rate in 2010 was 62.3% compared to the present rate.
