With its detailed questions about things like income, assets, job status, household amenities, even your commute, the ACS does set off scam suspicions — it’s a frequent subject of calls to AARP’s Fraud Watch Network Helpline — but it is legitimate, and relatively easy to verify (see below). Washington, DC 20009 Census scammers contact you by phone, email, regular mail or home visit, or direct you to phony websites, seeking personal and financial information. Phone: 800-877-9881 Forward the message to. For example, if an inconsistency exists with the reported sex of an individual and whether their relationship was reported as “Opposite-sex” or “Same-sex” husband/wife/spouse or unmarried partner, the respondent is prompted to make a revision so their sex and relationship responses are aligned. | Several categories include revised wording to increase relevance: “Subway or elevated” is changed to “Subway or elevated rail.”, “Railroad” changed to “Long-distance train or commuter rail.”, “Streetcar or trolley car” changed to “Light rail, streetcar, or trolley.”, “Work at home” changed to “Worked from home.”. The “Husband or wife” and “Unmarried partner” response categories, previously near the end of the response list, are moved to the top and split into four categories: The category “Roomer or boarder” is dropped from the response list. Along with its once-a-decade population count, the Census Bureau conducts more than 130 surveys each year. receive communications related to AARP volunteering. To reflect changes in public transportation infrastructure, transit mode categories in the journey-to-work question were reworded and reordered. The telephone question was redesigned to provide clarity and reduce confusion. Like other government impostors, they adopt the mantle of officialdom in hopes of winning your trust — and they have the added advantage of pretending to represent an agency specifically tasked with asking questions. In the ensuing weeks and months, you can expect to hear a lot about, and a lot from, the U.S. Census Bureau. The American Community Survey does in fact ask when respondents leave for work, but not when they return. Additional clarification is provided to define what to count as “work.”. For instance, changes include new response categories under the Relationships question to improve estimates of coupled households, "specifically same-sex couples," according to Lee. Unlike the every-10-year census, this survey continues all year, every year. “Active Duty” is added as a response category to categorize employment, and the “Active Duty” checkbox is dropped from the Employer Name question. Examples were added or revised to improve the quality of the information received. The number of characters allowed for write-in response is increased. www.aarp.org/volunteer. Free calculators to help manage your money, Rate bonus on high-yield online savings account, Real-life solutions to help close the retirement savings gap. But census activity isn’t limited to years ending in 0, and neither is census fraud. We randomly sample addresses in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Black and white respondents are now asked to write in their specific origins. The American Community Survey (ACS) qualifies as a government pro-gram whose purpose, while seemingly benign, raises significant constitu-tional concerns. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. A revised question can be clearer, easier to understand, and yield a higher response rate; revisions may also remove outdated and irrelevant phrasing in questions and instructions. Genuine Census representatives will not ask for this information. If it’s from somewhere else, it’s not from the Census Bureau. Whether you have been personally affected by scams or fraud or are interested in learning more, the AARP Fraud Watch Network advocates on your behalf and equips you with the knowledge you need to feel more informed and confidently spot and avoid scams. The biggest, the American Community Survey (ACS), is sent annually to more than 3.5 million randomly selected homes to gather population, economic, housing and other data that helps determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in state and federal money is distributed. They won’t ask for money. Instructions are simplified to ask respondents to select the one transit mode he or she uses to get to work for. The question instructions concerning weeks worked were revised to better understand characteristics of full-time and part-time workers. In Part B, respondents who did not work every week are asked to write in the number of weeks worked; the response was previously a check box. again. Planetizen's exclusive list of the top graduate urban planning programs. Call the National Processing Center at 800-523-3205, 800-642-0469 or 800-877-8339 (TDD/TTY) to verify that a phone survey is legitimate. How will coronavirus impact the 2020 Census? The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Outdoor dining programs have provided relief for local restaurants and retailers, while offering an oasis of social life for residents. Planning: A professional practice and an academic study focused on the future of built environments and connected natural environments—from the smallest towns to the largest cities and everything in between. Manage your email preferences and tell us which topics interest you so that we can prioritize the information you receive. In the meantime, please feel free Please enable Javascript in your browser and try Sign up for Watchdog Alerts for more tips on avoiding scams. Westlands Office Park The 2016 ACS Content Test included a combined race and Hispanic origin question.7 While this change was not implemented, the 2019 ACS and 2020 Census questionnaires will include slightly modified questions about Hispanic origin and race. The American Community Survey does in fact ask when respondents leave for work, but not when they return. Answers are collected to create up-to-date statistics used by many federal, state, tribal, and local leaders. Depending on how the issue is phrased, support for public transit can be bipartisan. Its aim is to gather additional information about coverage categories and improve understanding of health insurance exchanges, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The Relationships question includes new response categories to improve estimates of coupled households, specifically same-sex couples. Planetizen - Urban Planning News, Jobs, and Education, The 2019 American Community Survey Includes Changes to Several Questions, Changing the Narrative: The 2019 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence, Request for Proposals: Memphis CDC Industry Report, RFP for New Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance, Phoenix Takes a New Approach on Homelessness, Cash-Strapped Wyoming Towns Face Existential Threat, 2020 Election Results for Transportation and Land Use, What Biden's Win Could Mean for Land Use, Transportation, and Climate, Controversial Bus Rapid Transit Connection Between L.A. and Pasadena Moves Forward, Lessons From Rent Control's Latest Election Rejection, Reimagined Public Spaces and Programming During the Pandemic, Meet Google's Open Source, Time-Traveling Map, Transit Plans Change as the Pandemic Lingers, Street Redesign as an Economic Development Tool, From Vacant to Catalytic: Tampa to Upgrade City-Owned Property, One Key, Underappreciated Affordable Housing Strategy: Repairing Existing Homes, Veterans and Gold Star Families Can Now Visit National Parks for Free, Biden-Harris Transition Covid Task Force Announced.