Employed

Per Capita Income

Above Poverty

Economic

Preschool Enrollment

Bachelor's Education

High School Enrollment

Education

Voting

Census Response

Social

Automobile Access

Active Commuting

Transportation

Insured Adults

Healthcare Access

Retail Density

Park Access

Tree Canopy

Neighborhood

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Renters

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Homeowners

Housing Habitability

Uncrowded Housing

Homeownership

Housing

Ozone

Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5)

Diesel Particulate Matter

Safe Drinking Water

Clean Environment

Extreme Heat

Impervious Surfaces

Outdoor Workers

Public Transit Access

Sea Level Rise

Two Parent Households

Alcohol Availability

Supermarket Access

Decision Support

Everyone should be able to contribute their voice to the political process and to participate in their communities. Census participation is an indicator of both social power and social cohesion. It has strong, but indirect, connections to health.

The United States’ system of electoral representation has been rooted partially in the Decennial Census. The Constitution formally established population as the basis for sharing political power rather than wealth or land.

 The allocation of the 435 seats of the U.S. House of Representatives is based on the population of people in each state. Within each state, electoral districts are redrawn based on where the population is distributed within each state. The implementation of the Decennial Census has – like much of the institutions in the United States has evolved from its original implementation. Throughout much of history in the United States, the Census was applied to protect the status, power, and wealth of White landowners. The activism of the Civil Rights movement was a catalyst for the Census to 

 as being utilized as a tool for racial inclusion rather than exclusion. 

For the Decennial Census to be most effective for distributing federal power, communities must participate to the greatest extent possible to receive fair representation. With proper representation comes the social and political power to influence vital community conditions that affect health.

Not only does the Census help determine political power, but its results also help determine how hundreds of billions of dollars of federal funding are allocated by Census tract for the next decade. This money is used for schools, hospitals, roads, and public works, all of which are essential determinants for individual and community health outcomes.

 If a community has been undercounted in the Census, it will not receive its equitable share of federal, state, and local funding.

Census participation has also been shown to be an indicator of social capital – or how residents of communities cooperate with one another to collectively solve problems and build their community.

Numerous studies have shown a positive association between population health and social capital.

 While researchers do not fully understand whether Census participation is caused by social capital or vice versa,

 policies on the local level that are designed to increase either social capital or Census response rate will likely have a strong influence on each other.

Not only does the Census help obtain funding for local communities, but it is also a critical tool for local planners and decision-makers to understand the social, economic, and demographic conditions within their communities.

Without an accurate understanding of community conditions, policy decisions may not be appropriate to meet the needs of residents.

This indicator measures the percentage of people residing in each Census tract who participated in the 2020 Decennial Census. 

US Census Bureau. (2021, July 22). Why we conduct the decennial census. The United States Census Bureau.

Hotchkiss, M., &amp; Phelan, J. (2017, September). Uses of Census Bureau Data in Federal Funds Distribution. United States Census Bureau.

Lochner K, Kawachi I, Kennedy BP. Social capital: A guide to its measurement. Health & Place. 1999; 5:259–270. [PubMed: 10984580]

Islam MK, Merlo J, Kawachi I, Lindstrom M, Gerdtham U. Social capital and health: Does egalitarianism matter? A literature review. International Journal for Equity in Health. 2006; 5:1– 28. [PubMed: 16522204]

Martin, D. C., & Newman, B. J. (2014). Measuring aggregate social capital using census response rates. American Politics Research, 43(4), 625–642.

Wilson, C. (2018, September 20). Understanding how census data can help in making planning decisions. MSU Extension.

Newby, D., &amp; Penz, H. (2007). Languages for social cohesion: Language Education in a multilingual and Multicultural Europe. European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe.

Varheim, A. (2014). Trust in Libraries and Trust in Most People: Social Capital Creation in the Public Library. The Library Quarterly (Chicago), 84(3), 258–277.

Cabello, M., &amp; Butler, S. M. (2017, March 30). How public libraries help build healthy communities. Brookings.

The Centre for Literacy of Quebec. (2010, August). Social Capital Outcomes of Adult Learning and Literacy Initiatives.

Uphoff, E.P., Pickett, K.E., Cabieses, B. et al. A systematic review of the relationships between social capital and socioeconomic inequalities in health: a contribution to understanding the psychosocial pathway of health inequalities. Int J Equity Health 12, 54 (2013).

Desjardins, R., & Schuller, T. (2006). Measuring the Effects of Education on Health and Civic Engagement

Riley, Kevin et al. “From Agricultural Fields to Urban Asphalt: The Role of Worker Education to Promote California's Heat Illness Prevention Standard.” New Solutions. 2012. 22(3):297-323

Systemic inequalities often drive the barriers to Census participation - and underrepresentation in the Census can exacerbate systemic inequities by leading to an 

under-resourcing due to undercounting in the Census

Increasing Census participation requires strategies focused on helping residents overcome the barriers to participation and increasing community social capital. Policy Actions that build social capital have the spillover benefits of increasing participation in the Decennial Census and increasing community social cohesion, civic engagement, and overall public health.

Local leaders should craft policy solutions to encourage residents to participate by educating them on not only the importance of participation in the Census, but it is also important to debunk the false narratives around Census participation. Many residents may fear that their Census data may be used to endanger their residency in the United States or that their personal information may be shared with others. While Census participation is safe and anonymous; it is understandable that many people have fears that
they could be harmed by sharing their responses. 

Community leaders are essential to overcoming these obstacles to Census response. Through expanded resources for Census engagement and community outreach community stakeholders can ensure safe and equitable participation to overcome barriers to Census response.

By growing community support networks and local human infrastructure, local leaders can build social capital, encourage Census participation, and ensure that Census response will appropriately reflect conditions for building equity.

The 2020 Decennial Census was a case-in-point example of how Census participation may occur in less-than-ideal circumstances. Local Leaders should create contingency plans and infrastructure in the case of disturbances to standard operating procedures to ensure that Census responses remain high even if challenges to participation occur. 

Strengthen community cohesion and grow social capital through a focus on equity.

Strong Evidence

Increased Funding for Public Health Infrastructure

Promote Maternal Health and Reduce Infant Mortality

Emerging

Dedicated Equity Staffing 

Embed Equity in Support Structures 

Sufficient Evidence

Embrace Female Reproductive Rights and the Equity of Women 

Reduce Inequities in Census Response rates among different community populations through equity-focused strategies.

Best Practice

Address Accessibility Issues

Grow Community-Support Networks and Infrastructure

Healthy Neighborhoods

Promising

Involve BIPOC Community Leaders/Members in Decision-Making Processes

Incorporate an Equity Metric

Remove Barriers to Census Participation

Create opportunities for meaningful political participation in decisions about the community conditions that impact health.

Participatory Budgeting

Equity

Capacity Building and Civic Education

Participatory Local Government

Campaign Finance Reform

Community Power and Connection

Environmental Justice Element (SB 1000)

Nurture health-supportive community networks, and support community voice and power to improve the conditions that shape health.

Collective Impact Initiatives

Community Organizing

Parent Engagement and Advocacy Programs

Labor Organizing

Youth Development and Advocacy Programs

Proactively outreach to communities with low Census participation rates to boost engagement and reduce inequities in Census response.

Educate Residents on the Importance of Census Participation

Clear Communication and Guidance for Census Participation 

Support and build local institutions and practices that foster community awareness and participation.

Building Literacy 

Use “Third Places” 

Support Libraries as a Robust, Well-Funded Local Institution 

Ensure that people can participate in the Decennial Census through Place and Person focused strategies.

Policy Guide

Census Response

References