Answering US Census surveys is legally required, though nobody's been prosecuted for failing to do so in decades. If you don't respond to a survey, the bureau w

Answering US Census surveys is legally required, though nobody's been prosecuted for failing to do so in decades. If you don't respond to a survey, the bureau will send someone to the house to ask the survey questions in person. If nobody there will respond, then the agent/representative will record their own estimates for that household.