I received a notice from the U.S. Census Bureau recently that I was randomly selected to complete the “American Community Survey.” It came as a letter at first with instructions to complete the survey online. A few days later I received another letter saying “A few days ago, you should have received a letter from the U.S. Census Bureau asking me to complete the American Community Survey,” with big bolded letters that my “response is required by law.” I have since then received follow-up post-card reminders, a physical form survey with the same bolded message, and another post-card that they have sent repeated requests to complete the survey.
I have memories of completing past census forms for my household – a mundane task I remember doing without issue or struggle. Which is how it should be. The census and its various surveys is used to collect a variety of information from U.S. residents, citizen or non-citizen alike, and is made available for a myriad of purposes. As its website states, “We Believe in the Power of Quality Data to Impact Public Life.” I use the Census.gov website in my research to learn about a given community or to investigate specific factors that may play a role in an issue I’m writing about. Or in teaching, I instruct my students to use the U.S. Census to get to know their own community—to learn about its health, economics, education, housing, or household characteristics. It’s been a useful, trusted, resource.
Further, census information is used to allocate resources based on community demographic needs. Even in the letter I received in the physical copy of the survey, it explains that completing the survey is vital “to help meet critical needs in your area – like deciding where to build new schools, health clinics, and fire stations,” and why it asks the questions that it does.
But in the context of our current administration, I have struggled to complete the survey. I do not trust the U.S. Census Bureau not use the information for harmful purposes.
Shortly after receiving the first notification that I was one of the addresses randomly selected as part of a nationally representative sample, I began to complete the survey online to comply with my civic duty. But I quickly abandoned ship. It was fascinating how immediately my total distrust of this administration rose to the surface. From the very first question, “Please print the name and telephone number of the person who is filling out this form.” NOPE. Everything in me said, no.
Still, I pushed on. I decided to use a shortened abbreviated version of my name and to skip my phone number; after all, this information is important to my community. But then, questions about the relationship between the members of the household, gender, race…birth place…does this person speak English?…what is their ancestry or ethnic origin? I couldn’t do it – again, all I could do was imagine all the nefarious things this administration could and would do with the information.
I looked into it and the U.S. Census Bureau website states that all information is confidential, specifically that it “is legally bound to strict confidentiality requirements,” and will “never reveal your identity to anybody else…including federal agencies and law enforcement entities. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ answers with anyone, including companies, other federal agencies, and law enforcement.” And yet, with a president and an administration that changes the rules of engagement from one day to the next, that does not consider himself/itself bound to anything but its own whims, these assurances are meaningless.
I read a book in grad school, Torture and Eucharist: Theology, Politics, and the Body of Christ, by William T. Cavanaugh, that came to mind as I had this experience with the survey. One of the things it raises is the ways that dictators and regimes create individuals; they actively atomize us through torture and interrogation. Community is intentionally disintegrated by instilling fear and distrust within and between us. This government’s abusive actions, even when not directly aimed at us individually, are having a similar effect.
I’ll continue to to unpack this in my next post, and make the connections to feminism and religion more directly. For now, I do plan to go back to the paper form of the survey (47 pages long), and complete it as best I can while staying within the boundary of my comfort level, allowing myself to skip the questions that feel perilous.
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This is understandably very scary, Xochitl. I would be hesitant to fill out such a form, too, given the current administration. I look forward to the connections you’ll be making to feminism and religion.
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Nope, I wouldn’t fill out those forms. I go back (in my mind) to stories about the Holocaust. That regime attempted to keep things “normal,” instructing those who became victims to be sure you bring along your essentials (toothbrush etc.) as they were ushered into the gas chamber. I do not trust this regime. Like you, I want to be a “good” citizen and complete my civic duty. Not when we have little recourse because the usual channels of stability are dismantled by Trump and his goons.
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You nail it Xochitl:
“Community is intentionally disintegrated by instilling fear and distrust within and between us. This government’s abusive actions, even when not directly aimed at us individually, are having a similar effect.”
This distrust is growing – I just got scammed again by the internet – trust is being eroded on every level – I feel it with people too – like I am going backwards – It is horribly depressing all of it
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Truthfully, I have never trusted the census even before Trump. Americans have short memories. Trump isn’t the first autocrat to abuse his power. Take a look at Calvin Coolridge and some of the other presidents this regime has had. The often exploited or oppressed communities have that trauma imprinted into our racial memories.
They (the government and its supporters) have always spoken of “the rule of law”. But they also have always manipulated or outright broken those laws over and over again to fit their agendas. I only trusted the government as a child. In my teen years I saw the devastation in Miami, Fl during the FTAA Protests. For the first time, I saw police use what can only be described as tanks and military grade weaponry on American soil.
Little did I know what I was seeing was history in the making. Because this would one day be called “the Miami model”. And it was a model for police all over the country. Now this country has bomb robots to take people out. Stingray technology that they used to listen in on phone conversations between protesters on Occupy Wall Street.
And all manner of weaponry they use against the citizenry. After that day in November of 2003, I stopped trusting the government. I knew eventually, inevitably, a Donald Trump would arise. Even if I didn’t know that would be his name. And I also knew that it wouldn’t matter which party was in power.
Even during Clinton, we had police state repression in Miami with the whole Elian Gonzalez debacle. Now, I do support that he went home to his Dad. But the sheer brutality the cops and immigration unleashed on the Hispanic community (even non Cubans) even to little old ladies and children just randomly walking home, was disgusting. And I remember later that the INS (ICE today) intentionally spread anti Cuban propaganda to try and turn other Hispanics and the Black community against us. Again I am not a damn Republican.
I’m a Socialist. I support Cuba. But this was Fascism. And none of those well meaning liberals said anything against it. In fact many of them actually supported it.
And then gaslit anyone who didnt as a fascist. So I learned pretty fast, that it doesn’t matter how many Cubans are in one spot, if the Gestapo wants to come for you, if you fall out of favor with the regime, your toast. This was the event that made me become a Communist in the first place. It radicalized me to the Left. And it’s kept me there ever since.
So none of this surprises me. America is the Evil Empire from Star Wars. They always have been. And one day, there will be someone even worse than Donald Trump in power. And people will look “fondly” at Trump’s regime.
Just like people nowadays look back fondly to the Bush Regime.
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I worked for the US Census Bureau for 5 years – until this March. I am very proud of the work I did and the work done by the Bureau. During my tenure, I worked on the American Community Survey which is ongoing w/ new addresses chosen every month (which you received), the American Housing Survey (done every 2-3 years), the Current Population Survey (poor name) done monthly and is the basis for all labor statistics, which then drives interest rates etc, and is done at the same address 4 months in a row, 8 months off, and another 4 months (because you can only know if folks are leaving or entering the job market, making more or less, etc if you gather the info over a greater period of time), and of course, the decennial which is done every 10 years.Your reaction is common. I understand. It’s frustrating that the Bureau never has funds to educate people, though we do provide a ton of printed materials and a great website (census.org) that answers basically any question you might have.And yes, all of this was before the world turned upside down with the wild Rumpass in the oval office. I saw the writing on the wall and left. Before Musk infiltrated all secure networks, I would have fiercely stood by the Census promise of confidentiality. As a field rep, I was subject to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if I were to ever (in my life, not just when employed) to reveal any personal information of a respondent.most importantly, however, please know this: 1) the Census never asks for your SS# or bank accounts or anything else like that. It asks for your name and DOB, yes, which is also what we do every 10 years and this is actually required by law that every person in the US provide this information (ACS is also covered under that law – all other surveys are optional participation). Your name, DOB, and even other information that we DON’T ask can already be found easily on the internet. So what the Census asks is nothing that you can’t share. 2) if there is anything you don’t want to answer, you can, in fact, skip it. At least, if you’re working with a field rep, not if you’re doing it online.
3) Your participation matters. Next to voting, it is the most patriotic thing you can do. It is the most clear way that you and your circumstances are noted. Your energy bills are rising? You need better roads in your town? all this kind of information and decisions based on this info comes from the Census.I could go on and on but I’ll stop. I only ask that you consider more than what you have presented here. And also, I do have to wonder why this is appearing on Feminism & Religion…
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I worked for the US Census Bureau for 5 years – until this March. I am very proud of the work I did and the work done by the Bureau. During my tenure, I worked on the American Community Survey (which you received), the American Housing Survey (done every 2-3 years), the Current Population Survey (poor name) done monthly and is the basis for all labor statistics, which then drives interest rates etc, and of course, the decennial which is done every 10 years.
Your reaction is common. I understand. It’s frustrating that the Bureau never has funds to educate people, though we do provide a ton of printed materials and a great website (census.org) that answers basically any question you might have.
And yes, all of this was before the world turned upside down with the wild Rumpass in the oval office. Before Musk infiltrated all secure networks. Still, the Census promise of confidentiality is legit. As a field rep, I was subject to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if I were to ever (in my life, not just when employed) to reveal any personal information of a respondent.
most importantly, however, please know this: 1) the Census never asks for your SS# or bank accounts or anything else like that. It asks for your name and DOB, yes, which is also what we do every 10 years and this is actually required by law that every person in the US provide this information (ACS is also covered under that law – all other surveys are optional participation). Face it, your name, DOB, and even other information that we don’t ask can already be found easily on the internet. So what the Census asks is nothing that’s not already out there. 2) if there is anything you don’t want to answer, you can, in fact, skip it. At least, if you’re working with a field rep, not if you’re doing it online.
3) Your participation matters. Next to voting, it is the most patriotic thing you can do. It is the most clear way that you and your circumstances are noted. Your energy bills are rising? You need better roads in your town? all this kind of information and decisions based on this info comes from the Census.
I could go on and on but I’ll stop. I only ask that you consider more than what you have presented here. And also, I do have to wonder why this is appearing on Feminism & Religion…
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