2020 Census Barriers, Attitudes, And Motivators Study Survey Report.pdf

Purpose: To understand barriers, attitudes, and motivators influencing census participation, informing 2020 Census design.

Methodology:
- Mixed-mode survey (mail, phone, online) conducted in 2017.
- Sample: 100,000 households, representative of U.S. population.
- Response rate: 54.9% (weighted).

Key Findings:

1. Intent to Respond:
- 87.5% intended to respond, with higher intent among older, more educated, and non-Hispanic White respondents.
- Barriers: Language (25.4%), lack of trust in government (23.2%), and fear of data misuse (18.9%).
- Motivators: Ease of completion (47.6%), importance of census data (38.2%), and personal responsibility (34.1%).

2. Knowledge Gaps:
- 44.1% were unfamiliar with the census.
- Gaps higher among younger, less educated, and non-Hispanic Black and Asian respondents.

3. Barriers to Completion:
- Top barriers: Language (25.4%), lack of trust in government (23.2%), and fear of data misuse (18.9%).
- Barriers varied by demographic groups.

4. Motivators for Completion:
- Top motivators: Ease of completion (47.6%), importance of census data (38.2%), and personal responsibility (34.1%).
- Motivators varied by demographic groups.

Conclusions:
- Addressing language barriers, building trust, and ensuring data privacy are crucial for increasing census participation.
- Targeted outreach strategies are needed to reach groups with lower intent to respond and higher knowledge gaps.
- The 2020 Census design should consider preferences for paper forms and online options to accommodate diverse needs.