Waterloo Census Self-Response Rates Still Low In Black Neighborhoods

Yesterday, the U.S. Census Bureau pushed Wednesday’s deadline to complete the census out to Oct. 5. That’s good news, especially for cities with lower response rates.

While about 69% of Waterloo residents have completed the census online, by phone or through the mail, self-response rates on the side of the city with mostly African American neighborhoods have returned theirs at a lower rate. Self-response rates in census tracts on the northeast side of Waterloo and downtown range between 44% and 68%. (These return rates do not include people who have completed the census in person from census workers, though areas that self-report more are more likely to get people counted.)

“I’ve always been concerned about low census completion rate among Black people and other folk of color in our community, because in many ways, our communities need the most help,” said Rev. Abraham Funchess, Executive Director of Waterloo Commission on Human Rights and member of the Complete Count Committee (CCC).

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There are numerous reasons why the response rates by Black people and other people of color are lower.

“Many feel the questions are an invasion of their privacy. Some even believe it is a guise that will not be used for the intended purpose,” said LaTanya Graves, Black Hawk County NAACP President and CCC member. “I watched a clip of the View and they were talking about COVID-19, a vaccine and why so many African Americans are skeptical. Sunny Hostin expressed she asked a friend what he thought about the vaccine and why Black people were reluctant. She said his response was one word, ‘Tuskegee!’”

In 2018, the Census Bureau conducted a survey and led 42 focus groups in an attempt to understand proposed participation and resistance, as well as inform respondents of the purpose of the census. Questionnaires containing 61 questions were sent to 50,000 households encompassing every state, of which approximately 17,500 replied.

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While various concerns were expressed by all races surveyed, of those who were concerned their answers would be used against them in some way, Asians (41%), African Americans (35%), Hispanic (33%) were extremely concerned or very concerned, compared to only 16% of White respondents.

Rev. Funchess shared additional reasons.

“People are sometimes hard to find or locate; many are distrustful of and angry with government, and they believe a form of political resistance is NOT participating in the census,” he said. “But in reality, the opposite is true. True political resistance would look like everyone we know being counted and voting, because these activities translate into better daycares in our communities, increased educational equity, better schools, more political representation, and so much more.”

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According to the Complete Census Count, which provides information on the benefits of completing the census for those in Black Hawk County, census results are used to determine congressional representation, district boundaries, as well as fund “public services throughout Black Hawk County–food, housing and heat assistance, health, elder care, foster care, disability, unemployment and workforce opportunity services.”

The 2018 Census Bureau survey results showed that, across race/ethnicity, only 40%-47% of those surveyed understood that the census results affect how much the government will give to communities.

“Folks simply must complete the census or our community gets left behind,” said Chris Schwartz, Chair of the Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors. “If your family does not complete the census we lose federal dollars for veterans, mental health, roads, bridges, public health, housing, criminal justice reform, water quality, renewable energy, and so much more. This isn’t about getting free money, it is about getting the money we paid in back into our community.”

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Rev. Funchess also feels the completion of the census is imperative. “Unless we ‘tell our story,’ so to speak, by completing the census and by voting, we will be crushed into other folks fantasies of us, as Audre Lorde suggests, and miss out on the level of supports that a diverse community like ours really needs.”

To complete the census online now, visit: https://2020census.gov/en/ways-to-respond/responding-online.html 

by Rachelle Chase
Posted 9/29/20

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