ARCHIVES OF THE MAYOR'S WEEKLY COLUMN Archives of Rudolph W. Giuliani

Census 2000: New York City is Counting on You
By Mayor Rudy Giuliani

Last week, enumerators from the U.S. Census Bureau started visiting the homes and apartments of New York City residents who did not respond to the mailed census forms. To help with this important effort, which will continue seven days a week until July 7th, the City will buy photo identification cards for Census counters.

The Census determines how much money New York City receives from the federal government and how many representatives we send to Congress. Since every year the City sends roughly $9 billion more to Washington, D.C. than it gets in return, an accurate Census count could begin to correct that striking imbalance. I urge all New Yorkers who did not fill out their forms to cooperate with the enumerators.

Twenty-one thousand Census counters are knocking on the doors of all city households that received a questionnaire and did not return it or never received a Census form. The enumerators will only visit households from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and will announce themselves as Census counters and display their Census identification cards.

The City will pay for photo-identification cards for up to 5,000 enumerators. Since the official Census 2000 identification does not bear a photograph of its holder, these photo identifications will be provided to Census counters who do not have driver's licenses or other suitable forms of photo identification.

New Yorkers should be able to participate in the Census without putting themselves at risk. These identification cards will allow people, especially senior citizens, to verify that the person for whom they are opening their door is a legitimate enumerator and not an imposter attempting to commit a crime.

In addition to carrying identification cards, many Census counters wear thin red or white mesh vests with the words "United States Census" in white lettering and carry a black tote bag, containing questionnaire kits.

The work of the Census enumerators is especially important because the City did not match the 1990 return rate of 53%, as only 52% of New Yorkers filled out and returned their Census forms. The statewide rate was 61% and the nationwide rate was 64%. The Census counters will concentrate on areas of the city with the lowest return rates.

New Yorkers who never received a Census form and would like to be counted can also call the Census Bureau's Telephone Questionnaire Assistance (TQA) line to complete the short form information over the telephone. The TQA line will be open until June 8th, and City residents can call the following toll-free numbers from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.: English 1-800-471-9424; Spanish 1-800-471-8642; Chinese 1-800-471-9401; Vietnamese 1-800-471-7913; Korean 1-800- 471-9131; Tagalog 1-800-470-9897. For general information call 1-888-722-8995. Social Security numbers are not required for the Census questionnaire. Please remember that your answers are protected. The Census is strictly confidential.

No one wants more than I do to see the City continue to thrive and make even more progress. We can help make that a reality by providing an accurate count for New York City to get our fair and equitable share of our overall contribution to the federal government. I urge all New Yorkers to stand up and be counted.