Editorial: Don’t count out census yet

Tuesday, April 4, 2000 | 10:06 a.m.

Still, the U.S. Census Bureau is running into opposition from people who believe the questions on the long form invade their privacy. Some are returning the form, but declining to answer the questions they believe are out of bounds, while others are refusing to comply at all. About one in six of the nation's 115 million households have been sent the 53-question long form, which includes queries about income, plumbing and the amount of time it takes to commute to work.

yThe questions are relevant, however, and play an important role in determining the allocation of federal government funding, making sure it goes to those communities that need the aid. For instance, the Census Bureau notes that income information is used to assess poverty sta- tus and helps guide funding for social services that are distributed to local agencies. Meanwhile, knowing whether homes lack indoor plumbing provides federal and state governments with information as to which communities should be targeted for public housing assistance; health officials also use plumbing information to determine what areas might be prone to water contamination and water-borne diseases. And the question about commuting time is used by officials at all levels of government to assess the need for highway improvements and mass transportation, a big issue here in Las Vegas.

It's not clear yet how many people are refusing to send back the long form, but the Census Bureau director clearly is worried by polls that show a growing number of people believe the questions are too personal. This issue also has taken on a partisan tone, as Republican members of Congress stoke the anxiety by suggesting that people don't answer those questions they find objectionable (they conveniently omit that Congress itself directs the Census Bureau to ask these questions). Even presumptive GOP presidential nominee George W. Bush has weighed in, saying last week he "can understand why people don't want to give over information to the government. And if I had the long form, I'm not sure I would, either."

It is disheartening that so many Americans believe that this information may be misused, considering that the law guarantees all individual information will remain strictly confidential and cannot be shared with anyone outside the Census Bureau. What is even more disturbing than the public's fears, though, is how some congressional Republicans are irresponsibly telling their constituents that there is nothing wrong with failing to comply. After all, returning the census form not only is a civic responsibility, but compliance also is required by law.

In contrast, here in Nevada, there has been a bipartisan effort to make sure people return their forms. Secretary of State Dean Heller, a Republican who is coordinating Nevada's census drive, has repeated how important it is for all Nevadans to respond. Unlike their brethren inside the Beltway, Republicans at the state level understand that if the state population gets undercounted, this in turn means less money for important government programs that we are paying taxes to fund. It's been estimated that because of an undercount in 1990, Nevada lost out on about $200 million in federal funding in the past decade. It is imperative, then, that Nevadans ignore the fear-mongering and fill out their census forms, ensuring that this state receive its fair share from the federal government.