Automobile Access

Bike Lane Access

Traffic Volume

Transportation

Diesel Particulate Matter

Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5)

Ozone

Clean Environment

Park Access

Tree Canopy

Neighborhood

Above Poverty

Employed

Per Capita Income

Economic

Census Response

Voting

Social

Insured Adults

Healthcare Access

Homeownership

Housing Habitability

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Homeowners

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Renters

Uncrowded Housing

Housing

Bachelor's Education

High School Enrollment

Preschool Enrollment

Education

Outdoor Workers

Supermarket Access

Two Parent Households

Library Access

Safe Drinking Water

Public Transit 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 civic engagement 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. 

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 engagement 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. 

Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative. (2015). Social determinants of health indicator. BARHII. Retrieved from https://www.barhii.org/sdoh-indicator-guide

Huynh, M.-P., Baksh, L., Varner, M., Debbink, M., Satterfield, R., Stone, N., Gero, A., & Algarin, B. (2015). Severe maternal morbidity, 2013-2015. The Utah Department of Health. Retrieved from https://mihp.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/Severe_Maternal_Morbidity.pdf

United States Census Bureau. (2021, November 23). Why we conduct the decennial census of population and housing. Census.gov. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/about/why.html

Hotchkiss, M., & Phelan, J. (2021, October 8). Uses of Census Bureau data in federal funds distribution. Census.gov. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/2017/decennial/census-data-federal-funds.html

Lochner, K., Kawachi, I., & Kennedy, B. P. (1999). Social capital: a guide to its measurement. Health & Place, 5(4), 259–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1353-8292(99)00016-7

Islam, M. K., Merlo, J., Kawachi, I., Lindström, M., & Gerdtham, U. G. (2006). Social capital and health: does egalitarianism matter? A literature review. International Journal for Equity in Health, 5, 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-5-3

Martin, D. C., & Newman, B. J. (2014). Measuring aggregate social capital using census response rates. American Politics Research, 43(4), 625–642. https://doi.org/10.1177/1532673x14536923

Wilson, C. (2018, September 20). Understanding how census data can help in making planning decisions. CANR MSU. Retrieved from https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/understanding_how_census_data_can_help_in_making_planning_decisions#:~:text=Planners%20use%20census%20data%20to,planning%2C%20policy%20and%20programming%20decisions.

Cabello, M., & Butler, S. M. (2017, March 30). How public libraries help build healthy communities. Brookings. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2017/03/30/how-public-libraries-help-build-healthy-communities/

Salomon, M. (2010, August). Social capital outcomes of adult learning and literacy initiatives. How do we measure them?. Centre for Literacy of Quebec. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED547406

Uphoff, E. P., Pickett, K. E., Cabieses, B., Small, N., & Wright, J. (2013). A systematic review of the relationships between social capital and socioeconomic inequalities in health: A contribution to understanding the psychosocial pathway of health inequalities. International Journal for Equity in Health, 12(1), 54. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-12-54

Vårheim, A. (2014). Trust in libraries and trust in most people: Social capital creation in the public library. The Library Quarterly, 84(3), 258–277. https://doi.org/10.1086/676487

Inequalities often drive the barriers to Census participation - and underrepresentation in the Census can exacerbate 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

Promote Maternal Health and Reduce Infant Mortality

Emerging

Dedicated Equity Staffing

Embed Equity in Support Structures 

Sufficient Evidence

Support Women’s Health

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 Diverse 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 Local Government

Participatory Budgeting

Equity

Capacity Building and Civic Education

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

Community Engagement and Connection

Collective Impact Initiatives

Community Organizing

Increased Funding for Public Health Infrastructure

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