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UNO Census specialists issues reminder to count all young children
By Harold Reutter
harold.reutter@theindependent.com
Many Grand Island residents received their 2010 U.S. census questionnaires in the mail Monday, which means they are free to answer the 10 questions and return them as soon as they like.
The 2010 census asks people to list the number, names, ages and ethnicity of all people living in the household as of April 1, 2010. It also asks whether the person living in the household owns the home free and clear, owns the home with a mortgage or loan still owed, rents or lives in the household without payment of rent.
The census form also asks for a person's telephone number in case the answers are confusing to the Census Bureau, which is charged with counting every person living in the United States as of April 1, 2010.
The only other question of importance is whether a person who lives in the household spends part of the time living in some other location, such as a seasonal or second residence, or college housing.
The Census Bureau has advertised the form is as simple as answering "10 questions in 10 minutes." Included is a self-addressed, postage-paid envelope for returning the questionnaire.
Despite this, there are some people who still do not get counted as part of the nationwide count taken every 10 years.
The Be Counted committee in Grand Island has identified senior citizens as one demographic group that does not always get counted. As a result, Karl Hughes and Marlan Ferguson made a special presentation to people at the Grand Generation Center in Grand Island.
The U.S. Census Bureau has said it will have an employee at the Grand Generation Center from March 19 through April 19 to answer people's questions about the process and even help people answer the questions posed on the form.
Ethnic minority groups and recent immigrants to this country also are often undercounted during official U.S. Census counts.
David Drozd, research coordinator and census specialist for the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said young children ages birth to 5 are often another undercounted demographic, especially young children in ethnic minority families.
He noted the Annie E. Casey Foundation has reported children under age 5 are the most undercounted age group.
Drozd has done his own research that estimates during the 2000 census, a total of 450 children from birth up to the age of 1 were not counted in the state of Nebraska. He attributed that oversight to a confusing census form, which might have caused some parents to completely overlook counting children who had not yet reached the age of 1.
In some cases, Drozd said, parents might have "rounded up" the age of an infant who had not had his or her first birthday and listed that child's age as 1. He believes the 2000 census did have a fairly active count for the number of 1-year-olds in the state at the time.
However, Drozd said, the number of 2-year-olds in Nebraska may have been undercounted by as many as 400 children in the 2000 Census.
The researcher said he based his conclusions on the number of reported births and deaths for children from birth up to 2 years of ages in 1999 and 2000. Drozd said Nebraska had close to zero net migration in both those years. As the result, taking births minus deaths should give a pretty good indication of how many children from birth to age 2 should have been counted as part of the 2000 Census.
Drozd said he believes as many as 50 children under the age of 1 were not counted in Hall County as a result of the 2000 Census.
Drozd said the 2010 Census should represent an improvement, because it asks for the age of each person in the household, as well as that person's date of birth.
A child who has not yet had his or her first birthday should be listed as age "0," but the U.S. Census Bureau will be able to figure out the age of the child in months if adults or guardians correctly list that child's date of birth, Drozd said.
The U.S. Census has recognized an undercount of young children was a problem during the 2000 Census, Drozd said. As a result, it is using the title cartoon character from "Dora the Explorer" to help let families realize the importance of counting everybody living in the household, including young children.
"Dora the Explorer" has been broadcast on the Nickelodeon cable television network. A Spanish-dubbed version has aired on two Spanish-language cable networks. Since April 2008, the program has been carried on Univision.
Drozd said that makes Dora a bilingual cartoon character, which means she should reach children and parents from different ethnic groups on the importance of counting all young children in the family.
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The 2010 census asks people to list the number, names, ages and ethnicity of all people living in the household as of April 1, 2010. It also asks whether the person living in the household owns the home free and clear, owns the home with a mortgage or loan still owed, rents or lives in the household without payment of rent.
The census form also asks for a person's telephone number in case the answers are confusing to the Census Bureau, which is charged with counting every person living in the United States as of April 1, 2010.
The Census Bureau has advertised the form is as simple as answering "10 questions in 10 minutes." Included is a self-addressed, postage-paid envelope for returning the questionnaire.
Despite this, there are some people who still do not get counted as part of the nationwide count taken every 10 years.
The Be Counted committee in Grand Island has identified senior citizens as one demographic group that does not always get counted. As a result, Karl Hughes and Marlan Ferguson made a special presentation to people at the Grand Generation Center in Grand Island.
The U.S. Census Bureau has said it will have an employee at the Grand Generation Center from March 19 through April 19 to answer people's questions about the process and even help people answer the questions posed on the form.
Ethnic minority groups and recent immigrants to this country also are often undercounted during official U.S. Census counts.
David Drozd, research coordinator and census specialist for the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said young children ages birth to 5 are often another undercounted demographic, especially young children in ethnic minority families.
He noted the Annie E. Casey Foundation has reported children under age 5 are the most undercounted age group.
Drozd has done his own research that estimates during the 2000 census, a total of 450 children from birth up to the age of 1 were not counted in the state of Nebraska. He attributed that oversight to a confusing census form, which might have caused some parents to completely overlook counting children who had not yet reached the age of 1.
In some cases, Drozd said, parents might have "rounded up" the age of an infant who had not had his or her first birthday and listed that child's age as 1. He believes the 2000 census did have a fairly active count for the number of 1-year-olds in the state at the time.
However, Drozd said, the number of 2-year-olds in Nebraska may have been undercounted by as many as 400 children in the 2000 Census.
The researcher said he based his conclusions on the number of reported births and deaths for children from birth up to 2 years of ages in 1999 and 2000. Drozd said Nebraska had close to zero net migration in both those years. As the result, taking births minus deaths should give a pretty good indication of how many children from birth to age 2 should have been counted as part of the 2000 Census.
Drozd said he believes as many as 50 children under the age of 1 were not counted in Hall County as a result of the 2000 Census.
Drozd said the 2010 Census should represent an improvement, because it asks for the age of each person in the household, as well as that person's date of birth.
A child who has not yet had his or her first birthday should be listed as age "0," but the U.S. Census Bureau will be able to figure out the age of the child in months if adults or guardians correctly list that child's date of birth, Drozd said.
The U.S. Census has recognized an undercount of young children was a problem during the 2000 Census, Drozd said. As a result, it is using the title cartoon character from "Dora the Explorer" to help let families realize the importance of counting everybody living in the household, including young children.
"Dora the Explorer" has been broadcast on the Nickelodeon cable television network. A Spanish-dubbed version has aired on two Spanish-language cable networks. Since April 2008, the program has been carried on Univision.
Drozd said that makes Dora a bilingual cartoon character, which means she should reach children and parents from different ethnic groups on the importance of counting all young children in the family.
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