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It is voluntary. The two times I have been approached by census takers I declined to participate. They had no problem with that, everything stayed friendly, the

It is voluntary. The two times I have been approached by census takers I declined to participate. They had no problem with that, everything stayed friendly, they thanked me and left. There was never a consequence. The last time, during the last census, the census worker asked me why. I asked her if she knew about census data being used to round up U.S. citizens with unpopular ancestry and put them into concentration camps. She didn't, so I told her a little about the Japanese internment when my father was a teenager, and that I too have unpopular ancestry, and would prefer not to be on their list. She was agreeable.

zamadatix 1y ago
In practice I don't think anyone has been charged for denying the census in many many years. In law, it's not actually voluntary and you're pretty much riding on the census takers not caring lately rather than any actual status of whether the census is voluntary. If unpopular ancestry were a target of the census data again then I'd bet the lack of caring from the census takers goes away too, and the law needn't change to support that. Regardless, this is actually about the ACS anyways.
- jerlam 1y ago
  I am not sure if "not caring" is the right perspective. The census takers have a very limited ability to compel you to answer and are not going to show up on your doorstep with law enforcement or threaten fines for not answering. People threatening or attacking census workers isn't uncommon. This article is from 2010 and due to increased political polarization, it would probably be worse today: https://www.npr.org/2010/06/21/127988332/census-workers-face-vitriol-and-violence https://www.npr.org/2010/06/21/127988332/census-workers-face...
  - xtiansimon 1y ago
    > “The census takers have a very limited ability to compel you to answer…” True. But it’s about the data, right? I worked the 2010 census in my town. Obviously there is the escalation from mail-in to visit. But I recall there was some additional level after a refusal. In other words they don’t just treat a non-responsive or hostile home as a vacant lot.
gdulli 1y ago
Semi-related, I've been getting calls from the CDC lately to take a phone survey about immunizations. I know the calls are from legit government numbers, they're not a scam. But I can't bring myself to contribute data to whatever twisted narrative they're going to push with it. There's a good chance I'm overthinking it and being paranoid, but I'd never have had that resistance under any other Republican administration in the past.
trashface 1y ago
Its in-voluntary. If you get a mailing, it will say "your response is required by law". Probably the in-person census takers either don't know that or are instructed not to argue with you about it, that doesn't mean the census bureau can't legally make you miserable if it wants to.
- delichon 1y ago
  I throw those mailings away. I assume that's why the census workers show up. There have been no prosecutions or even fines for failing to respond to the census in more then fifty years. So de jure involuntary, de facto voluntary.

zamadatix 1y ago

In practice I don't think anyone has been charged for denying the census in many many years. In law, it's not actually voluntary and you're pretty much riding on the census takers not caring lately rather than any actual status of whether the census is voluntary. If unpopular ancestry were a target of the census data again then I'd bet the lack of caring from the census takers goes away too, and the law needn't change to support that. Regardless, this is actually about the ACS anyways.

jerlam 1y ago
I am not sure if "not caring" is the right perspective. The census takers have a very limited ability to compel you to answer and are not going to show up on your doorstep with law enforcement or threaten fines for not answering. People threatening or attacking census workers isn't uncommon. This article is from 2010 and due to increased political polarization, it would probably be worse today: https://www.npr.org/2010/06/21/127988332/census-workers-face-vitriol-and-violence https://www.npr.org/2010/06/21/127988332/census-workers-face...
- xtiansimon 1y ago
  > “The census takers have a very limited ability to compel you to answer…” True. But it’s about the data, right? I worked the 2010 census in my town. Obviously there is the escalation from mail-in to visit. But I recall there was some additional level after a refusal. In other words they don’t just treat a non-responsive or hostile home as a vacant lot.

gdulli 1y ago

Semi-related, I've been getting calls from the CDC lately to take a phone survey about immunizations. I know the calls are from legit government numbers, they're not a scam. But I can't bring myself to contribute data to whatever twisted narrative they're going to push with it. There's a good chance I'm overthinking it and being paranoid, but I'd never have had that resistance under any other Republican administration in the past.

trashface 1y ago

Its in-voluntary. If you get a mailing, it will say "your response is required by law". Probably the in-person census takers either don't know that or are instructed not to argue with you about it, that doesn't mean the census bureau can't legally make you miserable if it wants to.

delichon 1y ago
I throw those mailings away. I assume that's why the census workers show up. There have been no prosecutions or even fines for failing to respond to the census in more then fifty years. So de jure involuntary, de facto voluntary.