Hofstra Votes
What is the 2020 Census?
- The 2020 Census counts the population in the United States and five U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).
- Every 10 years, the U.S. government conducts the Census, which contains a few simple questions about the number of individuals residing in each household.
- The information collected during the Census is used to determine how to spend billions in federal funding, the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives, and how to draw congressional and state legislative districts.
- April 1 is Census Day, which means you should respond and be counted based on where you are on that day. There are special rules for students who are away at college on April 1.
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?
- More than $675 Billion each year is allocated based on Census data
- Money is used for your local hospitals, schools, roads, health insurance, public programs such as WIC and SNAP, and disaster programs
- 10 minutes affect the next 10 years. We only have one chance to get this right – federal funding levels cannot be changed again until 2030, and in the midst of this public health crisis, we need to do everything we can to secure the dollars for your region.
Did you know that Nassau and Suffolk Counties are the 4th and 5th hardest to count in the entire state? Check out this map to see how we are doing on a daily basis.
Related Links:
HOW DO YOU GET COUNTED?
- College students who live on campus are counted by their college or university. They do not need to fill out a census form on their own. This won’t change even though students have moved home due to COVID-19
- Students who lived in off-campus housing with or without roommates should be counted as if they were still living there on April 1, even though they may have moved home due to COVID-19.
- Even if you’re not filling out a census form yourself, students can help by making sure their households (and friends and family) respond to the census and get counted
- The Census can be completed online, by mail or on the phone in 14 different languages: BY PHONE: 844-330-2020
IMPORTANCE FOR PUBLIC HEALTH
- Census data:
- influences poverty levels with respect to federal funding and can help determine which program providers and individuals are eligible for funding
- can help researchers and officials understand which communities are most vulnerable to impacts of climate change.
- is important for advancing health equity, in that it reports on social determinants of health such as income, social status, social support networks, education, literacy, social and physical environments
COVID PANDEMIC IMPACT ON 2020 CENSUS
- The Census impacts our hospitals, our healthcare, our disaster programs, all systems that are being stretched thin by the current public health crisis.
- There has been a substantial delay of door-to door Census-takers due to COVID-19 pandemic
- That makes it more important than ever for Census forms to be submitted online or by mail