Participation by Lynn residents in the U.S. Census is 44 percent, compared to 63.1 percent for residents statewide. That is bad news coming at a time when bad news is the norm.
The Census has one simple goal and one gigantic task: Count every person living in the United States once, only once and in the right place. Think about attempting to conduct that task on the street you live on — never mind in your neighborhood, your community, your state and the entire country.
Lynn city officials geared up to educate local residents about the census last December with City Clerk Janet Rowe organizing a meeting with community organization leaders and elected officials. Followup meetings were held and more scheduled until coronavirus struck at the worst time in terms of dampening efforts to accelerate census participation.
A frequently-asked-questions letter from the Census Bureau hit mailboxes in mid March just as coronavirus descended on Massachusetts and shut down public locations and forced people to socially isolate and shy away from contact with anyone except for immediate family.
Census officials, Lynn and state officials, and organization representatives, including ones working with the city’s Spanish-speaking residents, knew even before anyone had heard of coronavirus that they faced a challenge ensuring strong census participation.
Several neighborhoods in the city’s core were identified from the 2010 census as under-participating areas that required followup by census takers and education by community groups.
An “all out” campaign to educate local residents about the census’ importance is poised to unfold with signs and billboards. A positive response from residents is crucial because the basic information gathered by the census represents the raw data analyzed to determine how much federal aid Lynn receives to help residents meet education, housing and other needs.
This data could also play a role in understanding how people commute, how they live and how they work. Reassembling society in coronavirus’ wake is going to mean studying how people can safely live in their homes, work in their jobs and travel on public transit, or gather in public places without spreading the virus.
The census is a vitally important resource and participating in it takes only minutes. It is also the law of the land and language outlining the census is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
It’s time we all got counted.