The U.S. Census Bureau announced that it will begin emailing households in low-responding areas to encourage them to respond to the 2020 Census.
Of the 95 counties in the state, 78 are considered rural by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Rural communities in Tennessee have a 2020 Census response rate of 59.3%.
In our area, the response rate is:
This compares to 63% for urban counties and 61.6% overall. The 15 lowest-responding counties in
Tennessee are decidedly rural and all are below the 50% response mark. The 15 lowest-responding counties are:
-McNairy – 41.5%
– Polk – 42.5%
– Perry – 42.7%
– Bledsoe – 44.4%
– Grundy – 44.9%
– Pickett – 45.6%
– Sevier – 45.9%
– Fentress – 46.6%
– Hardeman – 46.9%
– Hardin – 46.9%
– Clay – 47.1%
– Trousdale – 47.3%
– Decatur – 49.0%
– Meigs – 49.5%
– DeKalb – 49.9%
Millions of emails will be sent this week and then grow in numbers and continue into September. These emails supplement a final campaign reminding people to respond to the 2020 Census on their own, as census takers begin asking households to respond to the census.
The messages alert households in low-response areas that time is running out and their response to the 2020 Census is important for their communities. The email messages will invite people to respond online at 2020census.gov.
People who receive the email and haven’t already responded should click on the link provided and complete the census online. It’s easy, safe and important.
The emails will go to all households that the Census Bureau has contact information for in census block groups with a response rate lower than 50%. This will include households who may have already responded. In total, the Census Bureau expects to email more than 20 million households in these low-responding areas.
The email messages will come from 2020census@subscriptions.
The Census Bureau’s recent success with contacting households by email to participate in the Household Pulse Survey prompted the agency to add these methods to support the 2020 Census. This contact method will help increase response rates and reduce the need for in-person follow-up.
The Census Bureau is continuing to review the use of text messages and will make an announcement prior to deploying that outreach. In addition to emailing households, the Census Bureau is increasing other outreach efforts during one last push to encourage everyone to respond to the census online, by phone or by mail. The Census Bureau recently announced that it has launched Mobile Questionnaire Assistance, a program that offers assistance with responding at locations such as grocery stores and pharmacies in low-responding areas.
Additionally, the Census Bureau has expanded its paid advertising—launching a series of new advertisements aimed at increasing online response and expanding to a total of 45 non-English languages receiving some level of paid media support.
Households have until October 31 to respond to the 2020 Census. However, census takers have begun following up with households that haven’t responded yet in select areas and will begin following up with households nationwide in August.