Community Chat

[giddy up]

So no one knocks on your door for the census anymore.  I can't remember the last time that happened.   Maybe 2000 but could have been 2010 too but not sure.

[GrailSeeker]

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@giddy up wrote:

So no one knocks on your door for the census anymore.  I can't remember the last time that happened.   Maybe 2000 but could have been 2010 too but not sure.

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From my understanding (having been "selected" as a census worker for this year) someone will knock on your door if your address does not send in their completed census form. 

[debfau]

Yes, you have a certain amount of time to complete online or mail your form back - for any address that doesn't send a form back a Census taker will go out to neighborhoods and try to track people down to fill-out the forms. My mother did the door-to-door work in both 2000 & 2010, she has knee issues so didn't sign up to do this year.

[Spurt]

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@FranandZoe wrote:

I agree - very easy to complete online - and fast.

I have a question though - how do you guys interpret the "origins" question.  If you and your family were born in the U.S. do you put American?  Or are they looking for ethnic background?  If they're looking for ancestry they should have stated it that way.

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@FranandZoe 

This is what they said about "origins"....in the census.gov site

How Do I Answer the Ancestry Question?
Ancestry refers to an individual’s nationality, lineage, or the country in which the individual or the individual’s parents or ancestors were born before their
arrival in the United States. Examples of ancestries are Polish, Jamaican, Egyptian, and Taiwanese. The ancestry question is open-ended, allowing respondents to write in their lineage or ancestry.

[FranandZoe]

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@Spurt wrote:

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@FranandZoe wrote:

I agree - very easy to complete online - and fast.

I have a question though - how do you guys interpret the "origins" question.  If you and your family were born in the U.S. do you put American?  Or are they looking for ethnic background?  If they're looking for ancestry they should have stated it that way.

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@FranandZoe 

This is what they said about "origins"....in the census.gov site

How Do I Answer the Ancestry Question?
Ancestry refers to an individual’s nationality, lineage, or the country in which the individual or the individual’s parents or ancestors were born before their
arrival in the United States. Examples of ancestries are Polish, Jamaican, Egyptian, and Taiwanese. The ancestry question is open-ended, allowing respondents to write in their lineage or ancestry.

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THANK YOU!

[sunshine45]

i am in maryland and have not received the census form yet.

[Sheila P-Burg]

@Carmie  ..... I am in Ohio and I don't know of anyone here that has received it yet. Our local news said it should be in "arriving" in our mailboxes around the 20th.

[lovescats]

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@Spurt wrote:

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@FranandZoe wrote:

I agree - very easy to complete online - and fast.

I have a question though - how do you guys interpret the "origins" question.  If you and your family were born in the U.S. do you put American?  Or are they looking for ethnic background?  If they're looking for ancestry they should have stated it that way.

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@FranandZoe 

This is what they said about "origins"....in the census.gov site

How Do I Answer the Ancestry Question?
Ancestry refers to an individual’s nationality, lineage, or the country in which the individual or the individual’s parents or ancestors were born before their
arrival in the United States. Examples of ancestries are Polish, Jamaican, Egyptian, and Taiwanese. The ancestry question is open-ended, allowing respondents to write in their lineage or ancestry.

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have they asked that question in that in previous censuses?   Is anyone really one nationality anymore? I left that part blank then it went back and made me put it an answer.   the question did give examples and the first one listed was German and Egyptian was also given as an example.  Polish, Irish and Italian were not given as examples.  I thought it was a question that didn't needed to asked

[teganslaw]

I filled out the census online, took me less than 10 minutes. Very easy with not many questions. 

[Tangocash]

This subject made me get up and do ours too! Thanks for starting this!