CHOICES

CHOICES

A publication of AAEA

A publication of AAEA
Amplifying the Rural Voice: 2020 Census Challenges and Opportunities

Amplifying the Rural Voice: 2020 Census Challenges and Opportunities

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Theme Overview: Amplifying the Rural Voice: 2020 Census Challenges and Opportunities

Steven C. Turner

The 2020 Census will be critically important to rural America, where lower response rates and broadband connectivity present challenges in the push for online participation. This theme examines factors affecting response rates, community engagement activities to enhance participation, and its impact on the Cooperative Extension Service.

Problem of Low 2020 Census Participation Will Vary with Sociodemographic Factors and Distance from Metro Areas

Zheng Tian, Stephan J. Goetz, and Charlie French

To identify hard-to-count places, the U.S. Census Bureau has computed low response scores using 25 sociodemographic variables. However, rurality of survey areas was not considered. We find that non-metro counties have lower response rates and that the influence of sociodemographic factors on census responses differs between metro and non-metro counties.

Using Community Engagement Approaches to Bolster 2020 Census Participation

John J. Green, Heather Hanna, Lynn Woo, Rachel Haggard, and Anne Buffington

Census data are used for numerous decision-making processes, many of which impact children. From a project in Mississippi, this article reports on use of public data to identify places where children might be undercounted and use of community engagement strategies to facilitate dialogue to enhance census outreach and education.

The Impact of Demographic Changes on Funding for Community Development Programs across the United States

Sreedhar Upendram, David W. Hughes, and Victoria Campbell

Miscounts and undercounts in the census result in a social equity problem that negatively affects communities. An accurate census leads to representative leadership, accurate fund distribution, and informed decision making. A reliable census establishes a solid foundation for fair, equitable, and prudent allocation of community resources in the next decade.