Census Forms Begin Arriving Today

WASHINGTON (March 1) -- March madness begins today for the 2010 census as 56,000 workers begin delivering forms for the once-a-decade count of the U.S. population.

Though technically not the true start of the census -- the first count began in Alaska in January -- the questionnaires going out today to 12 million addresses, mostly in rural areas without regular mail service, mark the first major milestone in counting an estimated 310 million Americans as required by the U.S. Constitution. The Census Bureau also is delivering forms to Gulf Coast areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Most Americans will receive advance letters starting next week telling them to watch for the short, 10-question form in their mailboxes. In his blog, Census Director Robert Groves recently defended the mass mailing in a time of federal budget deficits, saying years of research showed that more people mailed back their completed form if they were reminded in writing ahead of time that they should fill it out. Considering that $85 million is saved for every one percent of households that return their form, it "is clear that the advance letter can save money for all of us," he wrote.

On March 15, more than 120 million households will begin receiving their forms. For the first time since the census began in 1790, some 13 million households in neighborhoods with large numbers of Spanish-speaking residents will receive bilingual forms.

Forms will also be available in Chinese, Korean, Russian and Vietnamese. Guides will translate the form in 59 languages, and the Census Bureau will have specialists on hand to help in more than 120 tongues.

Census officials hope the shortest form in history -- promoted as "10 questions in 10 minutes" -- will be filled out fast and returned promptly in the postage-paid envelopes that come with the questionnaire.

To encourage a good return rate, the Census Bureau has been spending millions to spread the word on how important the national count is to political representation and in getting a fair share of federal dollars, including advertisements during the Super Bowl. A recent survey found that some demographic and partisan groups -- young people, Hispanics, Republicans -- are less likely to participate in the census.

To juice participation rates -- and reduce the cost of going door-to-door to count laggards -- Census officials are appealing to Americans' competitive spirit by posting participation rates on its Web site. For now, residents can check how their zip code did in the 2000 census, when 72 percent of households returned their forms. Once the 2010 forms start coming in, the "Take 10 Map" will show participation rates in real time.