September2016Page 1

To:Phil Sparks, Census 2020

Fr:Lake Research Partners
Re:Findings from three focus groups[1]
Date:October 3, 2016

Key findings and Recommendations:

  • Many have heard of the census and have a general sense of its purpose, but few know that it happens every 10 years or that they are required by law to complete it. No one knows that the census is in the Constitutionwhichcall for everyone be counted and is key framing for both support and participation.
  • It is important to relay why completing the census is something that everyone needs to do.
  • No one in the white or African American group had heard of the American Community Survey (ACS), while only a few in the Latino group have a general sense about it.
  • Voters feel the ACS is more invasive. While security and privacy are concerns, many say that this data is already out there.In the white group, especially there is a sense that this process could be done more efficiently and at a lower cost.
  • In general, the key issue is less how the data is collected than what is done with it.
  • Every ten years seems like a long time to wait to count everyone. Distinguishing between the census and the ACScauses confusion and creates more pushback.It may work better to talk about how every 10 years the census is conducted and it is then updated annually.
  • Latino voters are very worried about responding to the census if Donald Trump is President. They believe it will be used as a way to deport immigrants. They don’t believe Trump’s people will care that using this information in this way would be illegal or that it has never been done before.
  • There is not an issue for these voters around counting undocumented immigrants and non-citizens. They want everyone counted because everyone uses resources and these resources need to be properly allocated, but also because the Constitution requires it.However, Latino voters worry about other consequences of having people identified as undocumented.
  • Getting into the weeds about undercounts and overcounts is not necessary and leads to confusion. The bigger point to make is that everyone needs to be counted.
  • People worry about the cost involved, especially when we tell them the amount. They recognize that programs that are needed will go away and equal representation could be negatively impacted. They also believe if everyone is going to be counted, then let’s do it right.
  • If discussing the cost involved, talking about it being two-tenths of a percent of the annual budget rather than talking about the actual amount works better. People are skeptical that a lot of additional funds are needed and wonder why other sources and methods for data collection can’t be used, including frequent mentions of Google and taxes. (and tax forms?).
  • The top benefits arising from the census are ones that focus on what helps communities. African Americans and Latinos also focus on the census ensuring that democracy is working and the allocation of resources to school districts. African Americans includethe enforcement of the Voting Rights Act in their top tier as well. Basically, all the uses tested were popular, except helping business. People feel business can spend its own money on data and probably has much of the data already. Respondents don’t like businesses using a taxpayer-funded resource for their internal use and they don’t see the benefits to communities.
  • Resource allocation tends to be the strongest message across groups, but no message is a complete home run. For many, the best way to talk about the census is to remind voters that the Constitution requires that we count everyone, and because of this,it is important to do it right and get it right.

Census:

  • When respondents think of the census, most think of “counting of the population,”“counting people,”“counting how many people live in the area,” and“gathering demographic information.” Latinos tend to think that not all people are counted and that the count is incomplete since many, especially Latinos, do not fill out the form.
  • Almost all have heard of the census, but few know that it happens every 10 years. Additionally, few think they are required by law to complete it, with African Americans the least likely to know it is required. However, no one knows that the census is in the Constitution and requires that everyone be counted.
  • The white and African American groups feel it should be required because otherwise no one will complete it, while Latinos are more split on this being required and they wonder how it can be enforced.
  • For white voters, mandatory and required by law is the same. For African Americans and Latinos, mandatory sounds stronger and they think there will be enforcement and a penalty if you don’t fill it out, while required feels “friendlier” and less stringent.
  • Respondents have a general sense of why we have the census – “to figure out funding,”“to set up districts,”“future planning,” and“gathering demographics to know the diversity.” But some question “why they need to know how many toilets are in my house unless they are going to fix them.”African Americans also worry that it may be used by politicians to draw districts that are gerrymandered to distill African Americans’ voting power.
  • Latinos tend to be more distrustful of the process. They feel it can be used to target illegal immigrants because if someone doesn’t complete the form then the assumption is that “you are illegal,” which would then lead to deportation.This group also says that information is power and that this information has the potential to be misused by politicians.
  • Voters think the census is important for our democracy given what it is used for and some see it as their civic duty to complete it. However, in the messaging the language of “Americans know it is their civic duty” tends to turn off more people then it attracts.
  • All of the groups think the public needs to know why completing the census is important and the impact their answers (or non-answers) have on resource allocation.
  • Many question the accuracy of the census, wondering “are people filling it out truthfully,” “can you trust the data since it is self-reported,” and “are people answering every question.”Both Latinos and African Americans question how it can be used to decide which schools get funding since so many of their schools are underfunded, activitiesare being cut, and schools in their neighborhoods are being closed.
  • Every ten years seems like a long time to wait to count everyone. They feel a lot can change in 10 years that need to be accounted for.Talking about the census and the ACS together, as opposed to referring to them as different entities, can help address this concern.

American Community Survey:

  • No one in the white or African American group had heard of the American Community Survey. A few in the Latino group have a general sense about it – “that it is longer”and “it is mailed to people” – but one person said this is the way “they figure out if you are illegal.”
  • In the provided description[2] many participants relay that the 2% that get the survey seems too small to be representative. There are also questions around “who are the 2%” and “who picks the 2%.” Again, the easier explanation may be to focuson this being part of the census process – every 10 years everyone is counted and in between it is updated.
  • All groups say the questions on the ACS seem more invasive. What does it “matter how many toilets I have” or “how or when I go to work.” Some would like to see an explanation of how this question is tied to federal funding and while this is possible to show online, they feel it would be useful on the written form as well so people will know why they should answer each question, especially those that seem more invasive.
  • There is a sense that the ACS may be more of a waste of government resources than the census. When they hear that someone will follow up with them if they don’t return the survey,they say that is harassment and they wonder about the cost that is incurred with this process. Many wonder what the consequences are if you don’t return this survey.
  • Telling them that some of the questions have been asked since the 1800s makes it seem outdated, rather than important. Voters ask, “why would the same questions apply today when things have changed since the 1800s”?
  • Security and privacy are concerns, but many also say that this data is already out there.Latinos feel this information could be used for oppressive purposes and Latino men in particular see it as an invasion of privacy.
  • In the white group especially there is a sense that this process could be done better and for less. They think there are data records out there that the census could use – even when they are pushed and asked if they think all of the data the census/ACS gathers is publicly available. They think “Google collects data all the time” and that their tax forms provide this information as well.
  • Most feel the response to ACS has to be mandatory because if it were voluntary then few would complete it and it wouldn’t be an accurate representation.

Funding:

  • If they had to guess,they put the cost for the census in the range of millions to $1 billion. When they hear the actual cost of $12.5 billion, they say that it sounds like a lot and that something could be done to bring that cost down, especially since there is information they can get elsewhere. However, phrasing it as two-tenths of a percent of the annual budget doesn’t sound as bad as spelling out $12.5 billion.
  • While telling them about the workforce needed to go find the third of the public who don’t respond to the census helps somewhat to justify the funding, votersstill say it is “a lot of money no matter how you look at it.”
  • Despite their view toward the cost, voters think it should be fully funded in order to do it right. They recognize that needed programs will go away and that it needs to be done right for equal and fair representation.
  • Talking about the undercounted communities is not surprising to many and are groups thevoters volunteer themselves as communities that might be missed – homeless, low income, rural, people of color, immigrants. They worry that if communities are not countedthey will not improve because the money will only go to those communities that are counted.They worry about the 26 million missed and question how they were missed and how whites were overcounted.
  • The discussion around undercounts and overcounts diminishes support by having people focus on what doesn’t work. People also think having undercounts and overcounts is contradictory since they feel you are either doing one or the other.
  • They believe it is important to count everyone and while they feel like there will always be an undercount, they say it will be even worse if the process is not properly funded.
  • Voters, especially African Americans and Latinos, want to see changes in their neighborhoods, particularly their schools, if the census and ACS are doing what they are supposed to be doing and getting funding to the places that need it. In the future, it would help if the government more proactively reported on projects being done because of the census count.
  • Respondents think a successful census is 85% or higher. They think the 98% count in 2010 is great, but some question it’s accuracy given the high number missed. If true, then the cost of $12.5 billion makes more sense.

Benefits:

  • The top benefits arising from the census are ones that focus on what helps communities.

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Congress uses the data to allocate grants for homeland security, highway planning and construction, Medicaid, substance abuse treatment, community development, rural electrification, public transit, low income housing, special and adult education, home energy assistance, rural business and industry development loans, water and waste disposal systems, mental health services, rural broadband access, crime victim assistance, coastal zone management, outreach to disabled veterans, natural disaster recovery, and dozens of other programs.

Community leaders use the data to analyze the emerging needs of their neighborhoods, to plan for the future, and to locate new schools, recreational areas, hospitals, police and fire departments.

  • African Americans and Latinos also focus on it ensuring that democracy is working and the allocation of resources to school districts. African Americans include in their top tier the enforcement of the Voting Rights Act.

Ensures democracy is working by determining for each state how many members they get in the House of Representatives and that lines in each congressional district are drawn based on equal population, as well as setting state and local legislative districts.

Congress and states use the data to allocate resources to school districts with the most low-income students.

Enforces the Voting Rights Act, as census data on voters’ race and ethnicity ensures lawmakers draw fair, representative maps for state legislatures, counties, cities, and school boards, as well as the House of Representatives. It also ensures that citizens whose first language is not English can navigate the voting process.

  • Benefits that focus on how businesses use the data are less important. Respondents don’t like businesses using a taxpayer funded resource for their internal use and they don’t see how this use benefits communitiessince it is for the business’ benefit and helping them to make more money.

Target, Wal-Mart, and other businesses use ACS data to tailor their goods and services to regional, even neighborhood differences.

Businesses rely on the data to make key marketing, site selection, and workforce decisions, to better serve customers and create jobs.

Home builders use data to determine where to build certain types of housing, like apartments in markets high in people age 25-34 and renters.

Critiques:

  • People raise on their own concerns about privacy and security,but many feel that this data is already out there so they seem less concerned about providing the answers. They say no organization can guarantee against having their data hacked since every day they hear about another breach. Latinos, especially, don’t think the confidentiality reply by the census bureau rings true – they say “Trump could get that information.”
  • Telling them about adding another layer of protection from the EINSTEIN cyber security system raises questions about why it hasn’t already been added.
  • Groups do not have an issue with counting undocumented immigrants. They say that we need to know, but Latinos have the concern that this information will be used against those who are undocumented and they will be deported.

Messages:

Opposition side:

  • A message focused on times having changed and there being other ways to collect data finds some support. They agree that times have changed and they think there must be another way to do this. They also agree that it costs too much and that data can’t be protected. However, there is less agreement about there being other important issues because this is constitutionally required.[3]
  • Latinos respond to the message wherethe federal government has no right to force Americans to tell personal information.[4] They wonder why the government needs to know some of this information and they don’t believe it is kept secret. They also don’t like the threat of criminal penalty.They believe no one here who is undocumented will fill out the census “no matter what.”

Our side:

  • Resource allocation tends to be the strongest message across groups, but no message is a complete home run.[5]For many the best way to talk about the census is that the Constitution requires that we count everyone and because of this we need to do it right. They like resource allocation because it reminds them of how the information collected can touch all parts of the community and the importance of doing it right in order to meet this goal of the census. They like the concept of fair distribution, but they don’t think this is necessarily true. They also question its accuracy because it is missing a lot of people. The Latino group points out that while the census is data collection, how the funds are allocated depends on how the data is used on the backend and they worry that this is not fairly distributed.
  • Business undercount works somewhat well with African Americans when they rate it, but in the discussion there is more negative feelings toward it.[6] They think businesses base their decisions on tax breaks and not the information in the census. They also feel businesses exist to make money, not to help communities. Since the benefits of the census discussed earlier in the group showed the negativity around the information being used by businesses, it is probably best to not use messages focused on businesses use of the data.
  • The worst testing message for white voters and Latino voters is the message “Who We Are.”[7] This message, which talks about not being able to get the information from other sources, does not ring true to voters. They firmly believe that most of this information can be found elsewhere, that “our information is out there anyway,” and could be collected more efficiently and cheaper.
  • The worst testing message for African Americans is “Cornerstone.”[8] Latinos also give this a lower rating. Neither group likes the reference to the Founding Fathers. As one African American noted, “When you talk about the Founding Fathers and equal representation, then you are not talking about African Americans because they did not count us as a full person.” Latinos feel the Founding Fathers started the census “to keep track of their slaves.” Because of these views, they do not see the census as a cornerstone of democracy even though they voiced how the census was important for long term representation and democracy.