If 1,000 Humboldt County citizens do not return their census forms, more than $1 million in federal funding will be lost.
The population results of the 2010 U.S. Census determine how much money goes to each county. Next year, more than $400 billion in federal funds will go to schools, hospitals, public works projects, emergency services, job training programs and senior citizens.
Fred Hebert works at Eureka’s U.S. Census office. He says Humboldt County can not afford to miscount people.
“There’s approximately 130,000 people in Humboldt County,” says Herbert. “Take the $400 billion, and divide it by the total population. Each person in Humboldt County represents $1,200 in federal funding.”
Not everyone feels comfortable giving certain information that the 2010 Census asks for, such as name, age and phone number. But, under U.S. Code Title 13, it is required by law.
If a person refuses to respond, the government can issue a fine of up to $5,000.
Students need to be counted in the county where they attend school and not in the county their parents live in if it is different. More students counted in the area means more money for education.
Hebert said it is hard to count the number of people in Humboldt County. There are 11 people per square mile in Humboldt County and the scattered population means that houses are unaccounted for. There are also a number of residents that want their land and information to remain private. The missed households make the population results inaccurate and the end result is a loss in funding.
Half of the questions have been on the census questionnaire for over 100 years: the number of people living in the house, sex, date of birth and ethnicity. Whether or not the questions are an invasion of privacy has been debated by political parties, citizens and immigrants.
This year, the questionnaire also asks for name, phone number and whether the person sometimes stays or lives somewhere else. Hebert said this is done to make sure people are not counted twice.
If the census office can contact the person, the study will be more accurate.
Liberal arts major Shosaku Matsushima thinks people should not have to answer so many questions.
“We never know if they’re telling the truth. How do we really know it’s confidential?” Matsushima said.
Under Title 13, the law requires answers to remain confidential. A $250,000 fine and up to five years in prison is the punishment if census responses are sold, distributed or made public.
These documents remain private for 72 years. Once that time is up, they are sent to the National Archives. There, resident information is made public for genealogical research.
There are other ways the census secures privacy under Title 13.
Hebert says if any demographic characteristic applies to fewer than 25 people in an area, the data will not be reported. This ensures that no one can find an individual by looking through census results.
Every ten years, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts this survey. This year’s questionnaire is the shortest yet. It contains ten questions and it takes ten minutes to fill out.
Recreation major Chris Gonzalez said he thinks student should fill out the census survey.
He said it is important to know how many people live in the area because, otherwise, funds are not properly distributed to the counties.
“Not filling out the form is just a sign of ignorance,” said Gonzalez.
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