By BRIAN D. HENDERSON
Brian@newsroom.byu.edu
For the first time in U.S. history, the 1990 Census, the government's official count of every person in America, was less accurate than the previous Census.
'Over 8 million people weren't counted in 1990,' said Mickey Ibarra, Utah native and White House director of Governmental Affairs. 'I know we can do better than that.'
Ibarra said only 67 percent of the 750,000 households in Utah responded to the questionnaire in 1990. He addressed the Utah Legislature on Friday, February 18, asking legislators to push for a more accurate count.
'We're serious about doing everything we can to make sure everyone gets counted,' Ibarra said.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, information gathered from the Census will affect the distribution of almost $200 billion in federal funds and even more state funds.
The Census also helps determine the number of representatives each state sends to Congress and gives vital information for rural and urban planning as well as other services.
David Gomez, Salt Lake City director of Census 2000, said that BYU students must be counted in Utah. The count includes all of BYU's international students, citizens and non-citizens.
Many BYU students have been missed in the past because out-of-state students, international students and non-citizens do not think they need to be counted in Utah or counted at all.
If they aren't counted, Gomez said, 'Provo will not get the funds back for all the services they need.'
On March 15, each of America's 120 million households will be mailed a census form, which asks for information about each person's name, sex, age, race, relationship and housing situation.
According to official U.S. Census Bureau Statistics, 85 percent of U.S. households will receive a short form, which takes 10 minutes to complete, and 15 percent will receive a longer form, which takes about 40 minutes to complete.
Every BYU student's apartment will get a form and each person must be listed. If an apartment doesn't receive a form, Gomez said students should contact the Census Bureau at www.census.gov and find out where they can get one.
Counting children and minorities is another problem in Utah. Of the 30,000 Utahn's who were not counted in 1990, 16,000 were children or minorities, Ibarra said. President Clinton's Census in the Schools Program will seek to drastically reduce those numbers.
'We're asking that teachers help educate students to help their parents understand the importance of completing the form,' Ibarra said.
Census 2000 has also prepared the form in Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and Tagalog. Language guides to help complete the form are also available in over 50 other languages.
Gomez said that in mid-April, the Census Bureau will mail a second form to households which have not returned the first one. And if those people still do not respond, surveyors will go door to door from the first of May until the end of June to collect the rest of the responses.
All Census numbers will be compiled and delivered to the president on December 31, 2000. The following April, all states will receive voter redistricting counts.
Gomez said local Census centers are also looking for bilingual persons interested in part-time work for the spring and summer. Pay in Provo is $10 per hour.
See related stories:
Census 2000 officials worry about children, students being counted for funding 2/14/2000
Video: National and local government leaders talk to children about Census 2000 2/14/2000
Video: Students encouraged to participate in census 2/8/2000
Provo creates board to help count minorities for census 1/19/2000