Columbus's Response to Census Not Going Well (Morrow: renters, vacation home)

[columbusboy8]

According to the Ledger-Enquirer only about 59% of Columbus residents have replied to the 2020 Census, which is due by September 30. It's easy and not stressful to fill out. A low response will result in MILLIONS of dollars in taxpayer money not coming back to Columbus for healthcare, roads, infrastructure, and other needs.

Please MAIL IN YOUR CENSUS, Columbus! TOMORROW, while you're thinking about it!! And tell your family and friends on social media of the importance of doing so! The more replies, the better for EVERYONE!

https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news...245750380.html

[cwkimbro]

Keep up the efforts, because some people will not be counted.


However, the difference is only by a few percentage points and it is pretty easy to understand why it might be slightly lower.

A few things to spot out is that percentage is not a percentage of the population, rather it is a participation rate of known households/institutions that were sent a census form.

There are various groups that are traditionally under-counted and I don't want that discounted, however on a good note usually larger families are more stable and more likely to respond and they represent more people. So the percentage of the population counted at this point is actually much higher.

Things that tend to drag down this response rate of properties are:
-Vacant households (owned by investors, held for short-term rentals (AirBnB), normal renters (between tenants), and homes not occupied and being renovated)
-Transient residents
-People with more residents
-Vacation Homes

Much of the undercounted properties are actually 0, 1, or 2 person properties or have some type of ambiguity to if they are ever occupied by a full-time resident vs. properties with 3, 4, 5, or 6+

These properties also represent a problem for the census door-to-door workers. With fewer people, they are occupied for less time during the day, making it that much harder for the census worker to catch them at home.

This is partly why the response rate is lower for cities, than surrounding bedroom suburbs. They have more varies land uses, housing types, and ambiguous multi-use properties.

[columbusboy8]

Originally Posted by cwkimbro

Keep up the efforts, because some people will not be counted.


However, the difference is only by a few percentage points and it is pretty easy to understand why it might be slightly lower.

A few things to spot out is that percentage is not a percentage of the population, rather it is a participation rate of known households/institutions that were sent a census form.

There are various groups that are traditionally under-counted and I don't want that discounted, however on a good note usually larger families are more stable and more likely to respond and they represent more people. So the percentage of the population counted at this point is actually much higher.

Things that tend to drag down this response rate of properties are:
-Vacant households (owned by investors, held for short-term rentals (AirBnB), normal renters (between tenants), and homes not occupied and being renovated)
-Transient residents
-People with more residents
-Vacation Homes

Much of the undercounted properties are actually 0, 1, or 2 person properties or have some type of ambiguity to if they are ever occupied by a full-time resident vs. properties with 3, 4, 5, or 6+

These properties also represent a problem for the census door-to-door workers. With fewer people, they are occupied for less time during the day, making it that much harder for the census worker to catch them at home.

This is partly why the response rate is lower for cities, than surrounding bedroom suburbs. They have more varies land uses, housing types, and ambiguous multi-use properties.

Thanks for the detailed explanation. It does make me feel somewhat better. I reckon other cities have the same problems, so I guess everything pretty much evens out. I'm just hoping Columbus gets every penny it deserves!