Sydney Hembree
Jour 271
November 6, 2012
Census Bureau
620 words
 |
| A Population Studies map of the southern states comparing the poverty levels of various counties. |
What
the Census Tells Us
UNIVERSITY, Miss. – The Census Bureau wonders how the upcoming election will affect funding for states. The census, which affects the number of representatives in Congress, will be affected by whoever comes into office. Why? And what is the census?
How the Census
Works
The
Credo Reference database explains that the United States started their own
census in 1790 in order to establish the number of representatives each state
was allotted based on the population size and to help distribute funding to said
states.
The
Census Bureau has, up until 2010, sent out long questionnaires covering every
aspect of society, such as ‘how many toilets your household has’ or ‘when do
you leave to go to work every day’, according to the CQ Researcher database.
In
2010, the Bureau decided to limit those questions to ten, asking only about a
person’s age, race, sex, telephone number, birthday, tenure, relationship to
the owner of the house, how many people live there, if the person is of Hispanic
origin and if there was anyone else to include or not in the survey.
Lynn
Woo, a research associate from the Center for Population Studies on campus, explains
that, by looking at the demographics, one can tell if the community needs a new
hospital, roads, and schools.
“For
example, when you look at Oxford, we have more 20 something’s here because we
are a college town,” she said. “People should not underestimate the importance
of the census because it determines funding the state gets from the government.”
Census versus
Students
Business
major Caitlin Eidt recalls filling out her first questionnaire for the census
when she was attending Ole Miss as a sophomore.
“I
had to say I lived on a college campus by myself and that I wasn't paying for
eight kids or something. So I just had to indicate where I lived most of the year,
at least, and who I was responsible for,” she said.
Although
some of the questions may be considered intrusive on people’s privacy, Eidt didn't have a problem with the prompts.
“I
can see where it might be considered intrusive, but I also see it as helpful. I didn't feel like my rights were violated, I just felt like I needed to do it
for the state,” she said.
Cliff
Holley, a research associate from the Center for Population Studies, mentions
that every question asked should be general knowledge.
“[The
Census Bureau] likes to think you can guess all the questions by simply looking
at a person,” he said. “They won’t ask you for classified information, such as
your social security number.”
How to Learn
More
Although
the 2010 census came close to accounting for everyone, 1.5 million minorities
were missed, according to the Newspaper Source database. Why?
The
Center for Population Studies, located in Leavell Hall, has the answer. Its
staff is in charge of promoting the census through education and programs.
Holley explains that, by hosting training sessions and workshops, students can
better understand how their forms affect the general community.
“For
example, by filling out the questionnaire, our state gets more representatives,”
he said. “[Mississippi] gets twice as many votes as Wyoming because we have
twice as many people.”
Even
the questions asked from earlier years had an importance, according to Holley.
The number of toilets in a person’s home could affect the sewage system of the
city and, ultimately, river areas in case of flooding. By comparing when people
left in the morning for work, city officials could supply more funding towards
new roads for less traffic.
“Every
question has a purpose,” Holley said. “There are people who make the data and
there are people who collect the data. We try to bridge the gap.”
Sources Used:
CQ Researcher
Newspaper Source
Credo Reference
Interviews:
Caitlin Eidt ceeidt@go.olemiss.edu (601-201-0821)
Clifford
Holley saholley@olemiss.edu (601-232-7288)
Lynn Woo lcwoo@olemiss.edu (662-915-7288)
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