Don’t Count on the Census

Reveal

The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX

News

4.7 • 8K Ratings

🗓️ 1 February 2020

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The census is approaching, but experts warn the count will be inaccurate. From the controversial citizenship question to a flawed online rollout, we look at why the census is struggling and whether efforts to save it will work.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	From the Center for Investigative Reporting in PRX, this is Reveal.
0:10.0	I'm Alex.
0:13.0	For almost as long as there's been an America, there's been a census.
0:17.5	Every 10 years, in 1790, the federal government has set out to count everyone who lives here.
0:22.5	From ocean to ocean, water to water, population takes miles and months.
0:27.5	The census day is coming up April 1st.
0:29.5	This is when we're all supposed to answer questions about where we live and with whom our age, race and sex.
0:35.5	This statistical snapshot will be used for things like distributing federal funds to states and local communities.
0:41.5	As the nation has gotten bigger and more complex, so has the census.
0:51.5	The first census took 18 months to count less than 4 million people.
0:55.5	Using today's electronic tools, we'll count over 200 million in the fraction of that time.
1:01.5	Every 10 years, the Census Bureau rolls out campaigns to convince people to take part.
1:13.5	In 1980, they used sports stars.
1:16.5	I'm Elvin Hayes in Washington, Boland.
1:18.5	I'm Lou Brock at the St. Louis Crigners.
1:20.5	I'm Sugar Ray Leonard.
1:21.5	Even Mickey Mouse helped get the word out.
1:25.5	It's not on me.
1:27.5	It's always been a challenge to carry out the census.
1:30.5	And this one is shaping up to be especially difficult.
1:36.5	When a census goes out, you should find out whether or not and you have the right to ask whether or not somebody is a citizen of the United States.
1:43.5	The Trump administration's attempt to add a citizenship question last year,
	...

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