Every 10 years, as mandated by the US Constitution, the US conducts a census in an effort to count every person living in the United States. Participation is critical, as the results determine how the House of Representatives is divided as well as allocates more than $400 billion in federal funding among state and local communities. There are some changes to how the 2010 Census will be conducted.
Fewer Questions
In previous censuses, one in six households received a long form, which asked for detailed social and economic information. The 2010 Census is going to have the shortest questionnaire in history. With only 10 questions, the respondent can quickly answer and return the questionnaire in a postage-paid envelope. This is in thanks to the introduction of the American Community Survey. The new short form will include questions such as name, relationship to head of household, gender, age and date of birth, race and whether respondents own or rent.
