Census and American Community Survey Outreach

Participating in the US Census population count, which occurs every decade, is hugely impactful for our communities. The Census is used to determine how many representatives each state will have in Congress for the next 10 years. Moreover, it provides critical data that policymakers, businesses, and others use to provide daily services, products, and support for communities.

Similarly, the American Community Survey (ACS), conducted every year, is sent to a sample of 3.5 million addresses. This survey asks about topics not on the Census, such as education, employment, internet access, and transportation. It is used by local and national leaders to determine the need for healthcare programs, economic development, affordable housing, higher education, emergency management and more..

By participating in these impactful surveys, you are making sure that you are counted, and that you get your fair share of resources and representation.

Our Work for the 2020 US Census

Census Hotline

APIAVote and Asian American Advancing Justice-AAJC launched a Census Hotline: 844-2020-API (844-202-0274). This hotline provided callers with assistance in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi, and Bengali.

Ad Buys in Ethnic Press

APIAVote executed a media advertising campaign working with over 175 local AAPI ethnic press across the country to promote Census participation. This filled a large gap in informing many AAPI communities about the importance of completing a Census survey, as the Census Bureau only advertised to certain markets in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese and Filipino ethnic press.

NYMLI Trainings

Since 2006, APIAVote has trained thousands of local partners, volunteers, and community leaders, giving the necessary tools and skills to implement successful outreach campaigns, through our Norman Y. Mineta Leadership Institute (NYMLI) training program. In 2019, APIAVote scaled up the NYMLI trainings to include Census training to ensure that AAPI community leaders and volunteers were prepared and mobilized to engage their constituents to ensure a complete count of the community.

Youth Voices

Since its founding, empowering young voters has been a fundamental strategy of APIAVote. Through the Youth Ambassador Program student organizations on campuses across the US participated in Get Out The Count for the 2020 Census, as well as voting and voter registration campaigns. Our two and a half day training summit included 60 student leaders representing 29 schools.

Multi-Language PSAs

APIAVote produced a 2-minute PSA video to explain the Census, its impact, and how to participate, aimed at disparate ethnicities within the AAPI community. The PSA was translated into 26 Asian and Pacific Islander languages. View these multilingual Census resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Every 10 years, the US government counts every person, regardless of citizenship, living in the US through the census. The census is a short questionnaire that asks basic information about your household and the people who live in it. The census is used to decide how to divide $1.5 trillion in federal funding for important services such as healthcare, schools and libraries, public transportation, and welfare benefits. The 2020 Census allowed people to respond online or by phone. Language assistance was available for some languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Tagalog, Polish, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Japanese. The Census Bureau also produced language glossaries, language identification cards, and language guides in 59 non-English languages for the 2020 Census.

Your personal responses for the Census and ACS are confidential and protected by law. Census workers are not only sworn to protect the privacy of your data but also face severe punishments if they breach it. The Census will NOT ask about citizenship or immigration status. The Census Bureau is not allowed to share your individual information with other government agencies, immigration officials, or the public. Strong laws protect your response from being shared! Census responses can only be used for statistical purposes.

The Census and ACS is used to determine healthcare, transportation, schools, affordable housing, and higher education that your children and future generations need to get a good start and be successful. Data from the Census is used to divide over $1.5 trillion dollars of federal funding for important services, like schools, libraries, food stamps, and health care. It is also used to divide up political representation in Congress, in your state capitol, and in cities and towns across the country. A complete count means fair representation for your community.

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The training will cover how the Census impacts AAPI communities, how to talk about its importance, and how to ensure a complete count in the upcoming 2020 Census.