Consumer research initiatives often rely on census information, making accurate census data important to the work of marketing researchers around the country. So our audience may be acutely aware that this month most U.S. households will receive the 2020 census. For the first time, Americans will be using the internet as their primary mode of responding. And to add to the list of details to watch, at the time of writing, the U.S. Census Bureau has suspended 2020 Census field operations for two weeks until April 1, 2020, in an effort to help slow the coronavirus.
A survey on the 2020 census from Pew Research Center shows that only 22% of U.S. adults know they will have the option to respond online. However, a majority of respondents (60%) say they would prefer to answer over the internet if they have the option. Among those who prefer not to respond online, 22% say a major or minor reason is because they don’t have reliable access to the internet, and 70% say that data submitted online may not be secure.
Data security
Back in 2010, Quirk’s reported on a poll that suggested a large majority of American adults would complete the 2010 census, however nearly half expressed doubt about data confidentiality. Keeping the move to online participation in 2020 in mind, we looked at Pew Research Center’s survey results regarding privacy and data breach concerns. According to the survey, two-thirds of respondents say they are somewhat or very confident that the Census Bureau will safeguard their data. This is “about the same level of trust the public has in credit card companies.” The survey also shows that, “most people say they would be very concerned (37%) or somewhat concerned (29%) if there was a data breach and their census responses were released.”
Citizenship
Many respondents don’t have a strong knowledge regarding key elements of the census. According to the survey, 56% of respondents think the citizenship question is asked and 25% are unsure. In addition, 14% of respondents think that the census is used to determine whether someone is in the country legally. While the Trump administration sought to ask everyone living in the country whether they are a U.S. citizen (a topic Athena Rodriguez discussed on Quirk’s Research Industry Voices blog in 2018), the question was dropped from the 2020 census form last year after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against it.
Awareness
Pew Research Center reports that there is “near universal awareness” of the census in 2020. Nearly all (95%) adults surveyed have heard of the census and 78% say they will definitely or probably fill out and submit a census form. According to Pew Research, “Even taking demographic differences into account, knowledge has a strong and independent association with likelihood of participating.” That said, it is important to note that Census Bureau research shows that “people who say they intend to participate in the census do not necessarily follow through.”
The months ahead
As the year continues to unfold, the research and insights industry will likely be watching closely to see if the new primary response mode, existing uncertainty over details (such as the citizenship question) or the ever-changing circumstances surrounding COVID-19 will affect response rates and, ultimately, overall data quality.
Methodology note
Most of the analysis in the Pew Research Center report is based on a nationally representative online survey conducted by Pew Research Center January 3-13, 2020, among a sample of 3,535 adults 18 years of age or older residing in the United States. This included an oversample of 175 U.S.-born Hispanics and 243 foreign-born Hispanics. The survey was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs in English and Spanish using KnowledgePanel. To learn more, visit https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2020/02/20/most-adults-aware-of-2020-census-and-ready-to-respond-but-dont-know-key-details/.