Issue 5

U.S. Census Bureau Spreads the Word About the 2010 Census

As a U.S. Census Bureau partner, you are part of something big. Your voice adds to a chorus of thousands, informing people about the 2010 Census and motivating them to participate.

Support from partners is just one aspect of the Census Bureau's integrated communications strategy to increase participation in the census. This strategy is grounded in three phases: building awareness, inspiring action and following up with non respondents.

As you conduct outreach, several other activities are going on simultaneously around the country:

• Events are drawing together diverse audiences from all walks of life and creating lasting memories about the census. The Census Bureau regularly conducts events around the nation and maintains a presence at events and conferences hosted by others, such as the National Congress of American Indians or the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. In addition, Regional Census Centers and Local Census Offices are facilitating partner-led events by providing materials, talking points and other support.
  
  
• The Census in Schools program, "2010 Census—It's About Us," will kick off in fall 2009 with the goal of teaching students about the importance of the census, so they can deliver census messages to their families. Teachers will have the option of weaving the census into lesson plans and many will devote an entire week to the study of the census. Visit the Census in Schools Web site to learn more: www.census.gov/schools.
  
  
• Media outreach supplements and sustains the momentum created by partners, events and Census in Schools program activities by building awareness of the census and providing motivating reasons to participate. Recent outreach to media has resulted in coverage on several leading broadcast networks and in premiere publications. Watch a clip from the Today Show about the Census Bureau's efforts to reach the Hispanic community.
  
  
• Complete Count Committees (CCCs) are made up of state, local, community and tribal leaders who promote the census in their communities through grassroots outreach. Contact your Regional Census Center for tips on how to start or join a CCC.
  
  
• Advertising will begin in January 2010 to reinforce all the messages that have been communicated through partners, events, the Census in Schools program and media outreach. It will be the most prominent aspect of the integrated communications campaign in 2010.
  
  
• Interactive elements disseminate 2010 Census news and information online. The 2010 Census Web site, 2010census.gov, currently houses vast amounts of information about the 2010 Census and is updated frequently. The Web site for 2010 Census partners, 2010census.gov/partners, is an information resource that contains downloadable materials to facilitate communication with constituents. A new version of 2010census.gov will launch in fall 2009 and will include additional information resources and an online newsroom that contains interactive and social media elements.
  
  
• A 2010 Census mobile tour will travel across the nation from January through April 2010 to educate the public about the importance and benefits of participating in the census and to raise awareness before the arrival of the census form. The mobile tour will support regional and local initiatives, and will reinforce established census messaging.

Every time someone reads about the census, hears about it on TV, or attends a census event in his or her community, we help foster a greater understanding of the census and its benefits, and move closer to our goal of achieving a complete and accurate count in 2010. As a partner, you are fundamental to the success of this entire strategy.

 

Profile: Meet the New Census Bureau Director

Recently confirmed as the new U.S. Census Bureau director, Dr. Robert M. Groves is faced with a monumental task: achieve a complete and accurate count of the population in 2010. As trusted voices within your communities, partners like you are essential to helping him achieve this feat. Below, learn more about Dr. Groves, including his background, responsibilities as director and a brief history of his position.

Who is Robert Groves?

Dr. Groves is a respected social scientist and highly regarded leader in the field of survey and opinion research. He worked most recently as the director of the University of Michigan Survey Research Center and as a research professor at the Joint Program in Survey Methodology at the University of Maryland. From 1990 to 1992, he was an associate director of the Census Bureau.

What will he do as Census Bureau director?

Dr. Groves will oversee the 2010 Census, the American Community Survey, the Economic Census and the hundreds of other surveys that the Census Bureau conducts in its role as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy.

Dr. Groves has stated that he will "work to ensure our systems operate according to plan, and to make sure the public understands the vital importance of filling out and mailing back the census forms in a timely fashion."

How has the position of Census Bureau director changed over the years?

The roles and responsibilities of the leaders of the census have evolved over time. During the first five censuses, the first of which took place in 1790, U.S. marshals counted the population by going door to door on foot and on horseback. The secretary of state was responsible for supervising and compiling each U.S. marshal's tabulation. For the first census this job belonged to Thomas Jefferson, who served as secretary of state under President George Washington. There was not a formal director in charge of the census until 1902, when the Census Bureau became a permanent government agency.

Dr. Groves is the 23^rd Census Bureau director to serve since the modern position was established.

 

New Fact Sheet Helps Educators Integrate
the "Census in Schools" Program

As summer wraps up, another school year will soon begin and the new Census in Schools program, "2010 Census—It's About Us," will kick into high gear. The program will provide educators with resources to teach the nation's students about the importance of the census, so children can help deliver this message to their families. 

To promote participation, we are mailing Census in Schools program kits to all principals and superintendents this fall. These kits provide school administrators, teachers and educational organizations with the resources needed to deliver supplemental educational activities about the decennial census. The K-8 principal kits and grades 9-12 social studies kits, mailed to every school across the country including those in Puerto Rico and the Island Areas, will include maps, brochures and mini-teaching guides to help educators integrate census activities into existing lesson plans. All of these materials and more will also be available for download on the Census in Schools Web site, www.census.gov/schools.

This mailing is only one vehicle for getting the word out about these free, standards-based supplemental materials for schools. We are asking for your help in encouraging schools within your community to participate in the Census in Schools program. By engaging America's youth in the decennial census, we can help ensure that every child and every household member is counted in 2010.

Download the Census in Schools program fact sheet now on 2010census.gov/partners to identify the many ways you can become involved in the Census in Schools program.

 

PSA 101: Plan Your Public Service Announcement Now
and Air it in 2010

Throughout 2010, partners can use public service announcements (PSAs) as a simple yet powerful way to communicate about the 2010 Census.

Now is the perfect time to start developing your PSA because it will take a while to plan and produce it. However, please hold off airing your PSA until early 2010 when it will have the greatest impact.

Tips For Creating an Effective PSA

• Contact your partnership specialist at your Regional Census Center and ask how to obtain an approved PSA script.
• Approach your local radio and television stations that best reach your target audience. Ask:
  • What is the PSA airing policy?
  • Will you provide studio time and equipment for a recording or do you only accept previously produced pieces?
  • What is the preferred runtime for PSAs? (Typically they range from 15 to 45 seconds.)
• Practice reading the PSA script out loud to see if it fits within the allotted time.
• Connect with your audience and make sure your tone is inspiring and motivating.
• Request air time from January 2010 to May 2010.

Contact your Regional Census Center for additional assistance working with the media and creating PSAs.

 

Speak Your Audience's Language

Next month, we will tell you about the massive effort to reach hard to-count audiences during the 2010 Census, as well as multiple in-language and in-culture materials in development.

 

2010census.gov
Feedback? Questions? Send an e-mail to
CLMSO.Partnership.List@census.gov.