MARCH 16, 2020 — The 2020 Census is well underway and is ready for America to respond as the first invitations are arriving in the mail at an estimated 140 million households between last Thursday, March 12 and this Friday, March 20. The public is encouraged to respond to the 2020 Census online, over the phone, or through the mail with their paper questionnaire as soon as possible.
Updates on 2020 Census Operations
The U.S. Census Bureau continues to carefully monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and follow the guidance of federal, state and local health authorities. We are adjusting some operations as outlined below with two key principles in mind: protecting the health and safety of our staff and the public, and fulfilling our statutory requirement to deliver the 2020 Census counts to the President on schedule. For the latest operational updates, see the statement on modifying 2020 Census operations
2020census.gov Website Updates
- 2020census.gov now includes instructions about how to respond to the 2020 Census online. Expanded “How to Respond” content includes links to the online form and a detailed timeline for response, examples of the letters and postcards mailed from the Census Bureau, and answers to frequently asked questions.
- To respond online, go to 2020census.gov. The online form is available in English and 12 additional languages, giving over 99% of all U.S. households the opportunity to respond in their language. In addition, video guides showing people how to complete the online questionnaire are available in English and 59 other languages.
- Other website updates include an online response rate map, a list of national partners, and a sample 2020 census questionnaire.
2020 Census Motivation Advertisements Begin
- The Census Bureau’s “Shape Your Future” campaign shifted its messaging on March 13 from awareness to motivation, now focusing on inspiring and motivating the public to complete the 2020 Census form.
- Motivation ads include television and radio commercials, and digital, social media and print advertising. It also includes messaging that will appear in places such as billboards, gas pumps and at bus stops.
- The massive public education effort is aimed at reaching all audiences, including multicultural and hard-to-count populations, with ads in English and 12 other languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
- 2020 Census Motivation Campaign advertisements are available.