Headcount Hoopla
The Census Bureau visits Main Street and Sesame Street to get more forms back.
You may have passed a federal bean-counter on the highway this morning.
The U.S. Census Bureau is touring neighborhood events across the U.S. to encourage citizens to fill out their census forms. It’s part of the Bureau’s first-ever paid marketing campaign. In the past, the Bureau relied on pro bono work. But that contributed to a decline in responses from 78 percent of all U.S. citizens in 1970 to 65 percent in 1990.
Twelve trucks wrapped with bright graphics began touring Feb. 15 to get the word out and collect data in remote communities. The tour, which runs under the Bureau’s umbrella theme, “How America Knows What America Needs,” runs through April 15 (though that date’s usually associated with a different federal office). The official Census Day is April 1. Questionnaires began reaching 118 million households in early March.
Each vehicle carries five kiosk-style exhibits explaining the census in multiple languages, video presentations, and tchotchkes including balloons, lapel pins, and refrigerator magnets that remind people to fill out their forms. Planned stops included the Grammy Awards, the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament, festivals, and powwows on Native-American reservations. There’s even an April 1 funeral procession to “bury the undercount” in Asheville, NC.
“The road tour underscores our belief that Census 2000 is a national civic celebration,” says Census Bureau director Kenneth Prewitt in a statement. “We want to tell people that the census . . . is how government knows where taxpayer money should be spent and what public services are needed.” The census helps legislators decide how to divvy up $185 billion in federal funding.
Some stunts stay in Washington, DC. Sesame Street character Count von Count appeared with White House Chief of Staff John Podesta and others at a DC school to kick off a classroom campaign. The Bureau sent one million curriculum kits to teachers and asked them to present a “census lesson” the week of March 13.
“Getting our children to realize how important it is to be counted in the census is a direct means to communicate this message to their families,” says Podesta in a statement. The push also could overcome language barriers for families who rely on school-aged kids to translate.
Separately, the Bureau is running public-service announcements with baseball stars Barry Bonds, Derek Jeter, and Ivan Rodriguez urging viewers to return their forms. The 30-second TV spots were produced through an alliance with Major League Baseball, the MLB Players’ Association, and Sports Illustrated. Spots run on network and cable TV and ballpark Jumbotrons through May. Young & Rubicam, New York City, handles, with assists from Bravo Group (Hispanic), Chisholm-Mingo Group (African-American), Kang & Lee (Asian, Eastern Europe, Middle East), and g&g (Native American).
