By Oscar Avila, Dahleen Glanton,

Look in the mirror and what do you see?

When the census form arrives in mailboxes this week, the complex answers to that question will help paint America’s evolving portrait, with repercussions for a decade and beyond.

For most people, the census will be a simple 10-minute process. For others in this nation of Barack Obama, Jessica Alba, Tiger Woods, Halle Berry, Apolo Ohno and Joakim Noah , questions of mixed race and ethnicity will prompt soul-searching over how to categorize themselves among a small but growing minority in the national fabric.

The census is a montage of self-portraits that will detail the ways a nation of nearly 309 million has changed since 2000, including migration, family size and housing patterns. While that data is easier to quantify, critics say a rote list of boxes and checkmarks can’t adequately reflect all the racial and ethnic transformations.

On Chicago’s South Side, the daughter of a black father and white mother will check both. Her brother will check black. Their children will write in “mixed” or “biracial.”

A Brazilian immigrant will mark a box that says Hispanic, though she doesn’t accept the label. A woman from Jordan won’t check Asian, though she is. A man born to a Japanese mother and white father considers himself white only at census time.

Another respondent may check four racial boxes like the multi-ethnic Woods, who invented his own identifier: “cablinasian,” a mix of Caucasian, black, Indian and Asian. Obama jokingly labeled himself a “mutt,” but he won’t find that box on the form.

Some bemoan the absence of a separate “multiracial” box to check. And beyond race and ethnicity, the form won’t account for the principal factor by which many Americans identify themselves: There is no category for sexual orientation, so some gay activists plan to protest by affixing pink stickers on the envelope.

“The lesson is that, like reality, like our lives, census data are messy,” said Jorge Chapa, a University of Illinois professor who has consulted for the Census Bureau. “But the messiness does reflect the growing diversity and our complexity as a people. It’s closer to the truth.”

Over the years, the census form has changed to reflect racial realities. A historic switch for the 2000 census allowed Americans to click more than one category, meaning that the son of a Kenyan father and a white woman from Kansas can now officially be both races. About 6.8 million Americans, 2.4 percent of the population, checked more than one racial box.

A Brookings Institution survey has shown a doubling of mixed-race marriages over the last two decades. A Pew Research Center report last month documented that younger generations were far more tolerant of racial mixing than their elders.

People who mark more than one race box are not counted more than once in the overall population tally. But they would add one additional person to each racial category they choose.

Susan Graham, executive director of California-based Project RACE, which advocates for multiracial families, said a hodgepodge of individual boxes is not sufficient to describe her children. She is white and was married to an African-American, and their children have a singular identity as multiracial American.

“The term ‘multiracial,’ we believe, is important and should be on the form. Words are important,” Graham said.

Researchers have found that people’s self-identities can be fluid: Over the course of their lives, they can more strongly identify with various parts of their ancestry at different times.

Kenneth Prewitt, who directed the 2000 census, said some civil-rights groups have resisted the concept of checking more than one race out of fear that it will dilute their influence.

Prewitt said the “Hispanic” term, one used mainly in the U.S., is especially confusing. The term, which the Census Bureau first used in 1980, describes an ethnicity pertaining to Spain but can include white, black and other races. He would include one catch-all category merging Hispanics with other race identifiers, or eliminate all boxes and have everyone write in their preferred identities.

(to continue reading this article click HERE)

KANSAS CITY – Advertising for jobs with the 2010 Census has some taxpayers questioning just who the government is trying to hire to go door-to-door, as job applicants can essentially fail a qualification test multiple times, and drug users are apparently welcome to come work for the government.

“Thugs,” said taxpayer Angie Borges, when asked who the government seems to be recruiting for the 1,500 open positions. “Sorry, people that are just not worthy of having that job.”

Applicants for Census positions take a 28 question multiple-choice test, in which they only have to answer 10 correctly to pass and qualify for a job that pays $15 an hour. But if that proves too difficult, applicants can retake the test as many times as necessary to get 10 answers correct.

According to advertising for the positions, the Census wants applicants to know that there is also no drug testing for the jobs.

“You can take the test over and over and over again and fail multiple times until you pass it,” said Borges. “If you pass it, no drug testing required. Who is that going to appeal to?”

Other taxpayers said that they question how those being hired will impact the accuracy of the count.

“It looks like they’re appealing to almost anybody who wants some sort of a job that will pay $15 an hour,” said taxpayer Kim Kearny. “They’re not going after the best, most knowledgeable people, therefore the census may be askew.”

Census regional director Dennis Johnson concedes that testing is designed for sixth- or seventh-graders, so there will be available workers in every neighborhood.

“After a few years, some of that sixth- and seventh-grade knowledge may fade away, but most people are able to get through the test, do very well,” said Johnson. “And we’re seeing a lot of people who get all the questions right. That doesn’t exclude those that don’t. We need a lot of people.”

Yet again, history has shown to repeat itself as similar illegal activities took place between the government and the media industry in 2000. In the age of Obama’s government transparency, why have we reverted back to the 1960s — to a time before Ralph Nader authored the book Unsafe At Any Speed — when newspapers feared retribution from auto company advertisements if they ever wrote anything negative about automobiles?

The claims that came to light today fully validate all the work that MyTwoCensus.com has done, but it also makes us wonder: Has the proliferation of fluffy 2010 Census-related stories from other media sources (which may now be directly tied to this scandal) masked problems and deficiencies in 2010 Census operations? Have publishers held stories that were critical of the Census Bureau, for fear that essential advertising dollars would disappear in this age of media industry uncertainty?

Ad agencies for the U.S. Census Bureau appear to have learned nothing from a decade-old White House scandal — because they’re busy repeating history.

Back in 2000, the White House was discovered trading ad buys with TV networks in return for positive spin in its war on drugs. That covert operation, which exposed millions to anti-drug propaganda masquerading as drama and sitcoms, ended in disgrace and the White House promised to cancel the program.

Ten years later, that promise is long forgotten. Globalhue, the ad agency that controls much of the government’s ad money targeting minorities for Census 2010, sent a letter to the National Newspaper Association demanding that publishers run six articles about the census or else the government would cancel its ads. (The NNPA represents community newspapers.)

While there was no explicit requirement of positive coverage demanded by Globalhue, the implication is clear: How long do you think the agency would continue placing ads in any newspaper that was digging dirt against the national headcount?

According to congressional hearings in February and March, the letter from Globalhue CEO Don Coleman said:

“In lieu of free ad space, all papers must agree to running six articles (preferably during hiatus weeks) about the Census 2010 as well as two editorials. If paper does not agree to the added value stipulations, buy will be canceled immediately.”

Amazingly, the arrangement proposed in the letter — that ad buys be contingent upon articles written by the papers themselves — is exactly the same as the one conducted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy during its disgraced ads-for-coverage scheme.

I just sent this email to the Census Bureau after witnessing incredible waste this morning. And for the record, I’m not some crazy anti-government teabagger, I’m a diehard Democrat.

Did you have someone handing out red plastic cups today at Wollaston Station in Quincy MA?? Everywhere I looked I saw LITTERED red plastic cups, wrapped in plastic, with info cards about the US Census!! Plastic cups on the subway platform, the sidewalk, and in the TRASH CANS, headed not for recycling, but straight to landfills. Pollution and landfills! WHO authorized this boneheaded promotion? First, whoever you had forcing these pointless, plastic giveaways on commuters should be admonished. “Do you WANT a red plastic cup?” 99% will say no. Don’t force them into people’s hands where they will take one to be nice, get your guy to shut up, or help him meet some possible quota for giving away this crap. Second, you need to cease this “plastic cup” giveaway, just donate what’s left to schools or shelters. Why would you think anyone would want an ugly plastic dixie cup anyway? Hand out the cards if you must, but draw the line at pointless WASTE that pollutes our streets and waterways or ends up in landfills! I guess Congress gave you an advertising budget and you didn’t know what to do with it. Unbelievable. The Census shouldn’t even be advertising in the first place, it’s self-explanatory to anyone with half a brain.

–  Mr. R. Feinberg, Boston

According to the 2000 Census, the number of Arabs living in the United States was 1.25 million, a figure that many involved in this initiative believe is inaccurate, since Arabs traditionally have larger families than other ethnic groups in the United States. The Arab American Institute estimates the national population to be more than 3.5 million. Community activists say both numbers are too low.

One reason for the undercount, Qutami said, is that without a box to check Arabs write in a variety of terms – for example, Middle-Eastern, Arab-American or Palestinian — on the Census questionnaire, and the numbers get stratified.

1890 is the first year that census workers were given detailed maps to help complete their tasks, and it’s also the same year that an electric tabulating system was utilized for the count

1950 was the first time a computer was used to tabulate results, and it was also the first computer designed for civilian use

1960 was the first time that census results were digitally recorded (on magnetic tape)

1970 was the first time that census data products were made available digitally on magnetic tape.

1980 saw the creation of the State Data Center Program for easier access to digital data on computer tapes

1990 was the year that the Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER), computer-based maps, was introduced. It also was the first year that data was released on CD-ROM

2000 was when the Internet became the primary means of distributing Census data

2010 won’t include the “long form” because this more detailed collection has been converted to the ongoing American Community Survey

Additionally, the Census Bureau sent out a media advisory today with historical Census Bureau information. Enjoy it here:

1790
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1790.html>
for more information)
– Census Day was Aug. 2 (the first Monday of the month).
– Six questions were asked.
– The census was conducted in the 13 original states as well as the
districts of Maine, Vermont, Kentucky and the Southwest Territory
(Tennessee).
– U.S. marshals, who conducted the census, submitted their results to
Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, nominal director of the census.
– President George Washington delivered the first “State of the Union”
address on Jan. 8, 1790.
– Rhode Island entered the Union as the 13th state, May 29, 1790.
– U.S. population: 3.9 million.

1800
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1800.html>
for more information)
– Census Day was Aug. 4.
– Secretary of State John Marshall, future chief justice of the United
States, reported the 1800 Census results to President John Adams.
– Five most populous cities: New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston
and Charleston, S.C.
– U.S. population: 5.3 million.

1810
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1810.html>
for more information)
– Census Day was Aug. 6.
– Assistant marshals were required to actually visit each household to
complete the count, rather than relying on hearsay.
– Marshals, in addition to collecting demographic data, were required
to collect data on manufacturing establishments and the types of
goods they produced.
– Estimated number of enumerators passed the 1,000 mark.
– U.S. population: 7.2 million.

1820
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1820.html>
for more information)
– Census Day was Aug. 7.
– Secretary of State John Q. Adams delivered census results to
President James Monroe.
– First census to inquire if respondents were engaged in agriculture,
commerce or manufacturing.
– Respondents were asked to identify the number of “foreigners not
naturalized” in the household.
– Maine entered the Union as 23rd state, March 15, 1820.
– U.S. population: 9.6 million.

1830
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1830.html>
for more information)
– At the recommendation of President John Q. Adams in 1828, Census Day
was moved to June 1.
– For the first time, enumerators used uniform printed schedules, as
opposed to whatever paper was available. This made for more efficient
tabulations of census results.
– For the first time, respondents were asked whether they were blind,
or “deaf and dumb.”
– The census counted the population only. The previous two censuses had
made unsuccessful attempts to collect additional data on
manufacturing and industry.
– Secretary of State Martin Van Buren delivered the census results to
President Andrew Jackson.
– U.S. population: 12.9 million.

1840
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1840.html>
for more information)
– Census Day was June 1.
– New population inquiries included questions about school attendance,
literacy and vocation.
– The Census Act of 1840 authorized establishing a temporary,
centralized census office during each enumeration.
– New Orleans was the nation’s third largest city.
– U.S. population: 17.1 million.

1850
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1850.html>
for more information)
– Census Day was June 1.
– For the first time, information collected on whether respondents
could read or write, as well as on the place of birth of the
foreign-born.
– Number of population inquiries grew. Every person’s name was to be
listed, not just the head of household. The marshals collected
additional “social statistics,” including information on taxes,
schools, crime, wages, value of the estate and mortality.
– Census board established and authorized to collect information on
mines, agriculture, commerce, manufactures and education.
– California entered the Union as 31st state, Sept. 5, 1850.
– Millard Fillmore was sworn into office as the 13th president,
following Zachary Taylor’s death.
– U.S. population: 23.2 million.

1860
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1860.html>
for more information)
– Census Day was June 1.
– American Indians living under state and territorial laws as citizens
were enumerated.
– Final census with slave schedules.
– Abraham Lincoln elected president, prompting South Carolina to leave
the Union on Dec. 20, 1860.
– Number of enumerators: 4,417.
– Brooklyn, N.Y., was nation’s third largest city (behind New York and
Philadelphia).
– U.S. population: 31.4 million.

1870
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1870.html>
for more information)
– Census Day was June 1.
– After the Civil War, questionnaires were reordered and redesigned to
account for the end of the “slave questionnaire.”
– Information collected on whether a person’s parents were
foreign-born.
– Gen. Francis Walker, superintendent of the census, introduced
examinations to test the qualifications of those applying for
positions within the Census Office.
– A rudimentary tallying machine — the Seaton Device — was used to
tabulate census data. The machine was invented by Chief Clerk of the
Census Charles Seaton.
– U.S. population: 38.6 million.

1880
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1880.html>
for more information)
– Census Day was June 1.
– Professional enumerators replaced U.S. marshals as census takers.
– When no one was available at a family’s usual residence, the
enumerator was directed by law to obtain the required information
from a family or person living nearby.
– The act authorizing this census provided for the collection of
detailed data on the condition and operation of railroad
corporations, incorporated express companies and telegraph companies,
and of life, fire and marine insurance companies.
– The Superintendent of Census was required to collect and publish
statistics on Alaska’s population, industries and resources.
– All untaxed Indians were enumerated.
– Number of enumerators: 31,382.
– U.S. population: 50.2 million.

1890
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1890.html>
for more information)
– Because June 1 was a Sunday, Census Day was June 2.
– For the first time, questions included how many living children
mothers had, year of immigration to the U.S., citizenship status and
ability to speak English.
– Included a greater number of subjects than any previous census and
more than would be included in those immediately following. New
subjects included ownership and indebtedness of farms and homes; the
names, as well as units served in, length of service and residences
of surviving Union soldiers and sailors.
– First time “Japanese” was used as a category in the race question.
– Enumerators were given detailed maps to follow for the first time.
– First census to use the Hollerith machine, an electric tabulating
system that utilized encoded punch cards. This innovation
substantially sped up tabulation of census results. The machine was
invented by Herman Hollerith, a former census employee widely
regarded as the father of modern automatic computation.
– Idaho and Wyoming admitted to Union as 43rd and 44th states on July 3
and July 10, 1890, respectively.
– U.S. population: 63 million.

1900
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1900.html>
for more information)
– Census Day was June 1.
– Census content limited to questions dealing with population,
mortality, agriculture and manufacturing.
– Following the completion of the regular census, special census agents
authorized to collect statistics relating to incidents of deafness,
blindness, insanity and juvenile delinquency, as well as religious
bodies.
– Hawaii included in the census for the first time.
– In 1902, the formerly temporary Census Office was made a permanent
organization within the Department of the Interior. In 1903, it
became the Census Bureau and was transferred to the Department of
Commerce and Labor.
– Number of enumerators: 52,871.
– U.S. population: 76.2 million.

1910
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1910.html>
for more information)
– Census Day changed to April 15, as the Census Bureau director felt
many urban dwellers may be away from home on summer vacation in June.
– For the first time, Puerto Rico was included in the decennial census.
Its population was 1,118,012.
– At the insistence of President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907,
enumerators were hired through the civil service system.
– For the first time, respondents asked about their mother tongue and
whether they were a Union or Confederate veteran.
– Vital statistics queries on questionnaire abolished.
– For the first time, enumerators in large cities distributed
questionnaires in advance — a day or two prior to Census Day — so
people could become familiar with the questions and have time to
prepare their answers.
– U.S. population: 92.2 million.

1920
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1920.html>
for more information)
– Census Day moved to Jan. 2, at the behest of the Agriculture
Department, which felt that in January, harvests would be completed
and information about them would still be fresh in farmers’ minds.
Additionally, it was thought that more people would be home in
January than in April.
– This was the first census in which the majority of the population
lived in urban areas.
– For the first time, Guam and American Samoa were included in the
decennial census.
– “Usual place of abode” became the basis for enumeration, rather than
where people worked or might be visiting. People with no regular
residence were enumerated where they were when count was taken.
– Four new questions were added: one asking about the year of
naturalization and three about the mother tongue.
– Questions deleted included unemployment on Census Day, service in the
Union or Confederate army or navy, number of children born and how
long a couple had been married.
– For the first time, Los Angeles was among the nation’s 10 most
populous cities.
– KDKA in Pittsburgh became the first radio station to offer regular
broadcasts.
– U.S. population: 106 million.

1930
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1930.html>
for more information)
– Census Day moved to April 1, where it remains today.
– For the first time, the U.S. Virgin Islands were included in the
decennial census.
– First time respondents were asked about whether their home has a
radio.
– With the nation descending into the Great Depression, Census Bureau
rushed out unemployment information collected in the census. When the
numbers it reported were attacked as being too low, Congress required
a special unemployment census for January 1931.
– Number of enumerators: 87,756.
– U.S. population: 123.2 million.

1940
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1940.html>
for more information)
– First census to use advanced sampling techniques, including
probability sampling. The questions asked of only a sample of the
population were part of the first “long form.”
– First census of housing, with numerous questions asked about the
characteristics of the housing structure.
– Questions on employment, unemployment, internal migration and income
added.
– President Franklin Roosevelt elected to third term as World War II
rages in Europe.
– Number of enumerators: 123,069.
– U.S. population: 132.2 million.

1950
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1950.html>
for more information)
– First time Americans abroad were enumerated, including members of the
armed forces and U.S. government employees living in foreign
countries.
– A new survey on residential financing conducted as part of the
census.
– For the first time, a computer (UNIVAC I) was used to tabulate census
results. It was the first computer designed for civilian use.
– Several procedures were instituted to improve the accuracy and
completeness of the census, including setting a specific night to
conduct a special enumeration of hotels and places frequented by
transients.
– The United Nations entered the Korean War.
– U.S. population: 151.3 million.

1960
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1960.html>
for more information)
– First mail-out decennial census; most households were asked to
complete the questionnaire and hold it until an enumerator came to
pick it up.
– Census conducted in two stages: first, a quick collection of a few
data items for every person; second, collection of more detailed
economic and social information from a sample of households.
– Questions added on place of work and means of transportation to work.
– Computers processed nearly all data; for the first time, the Census
Bureau used the film optical sensing device for input to computers
(FOSDIC).
– For the first time, census results were recorded on magnetic tape.
The tapes were not produced, however, until long after the data
became available in print.
– John F. Kennedy elected president.
– Houston appeared on the list of the 10 most populous cities for the
first time.
– U.S. population: 179.3 million.

1970
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1970.html>
for more information)
– The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands first included in
the decennial census.
– Number of questions on long-form questionnaire reduced from 66 to 23.
– For the first time, a separate question on Hispanic origin was asked
of a 5 percent sample of the population.
– Only five questions were asked of all individuals. Other questions
were asked of a 15 percent sample and still others of a five percent
sample.
– First census to make available all data products on magnetic tape.
Additionally, several Public Use Microdata Sample files were
produced.
– U.S. military involvement in Vietnam ended on April 30, 1975.
– Dallas among the nation’s 10 most populous cities.
– Number of enumerators: 166,406.
– U.S. population: 203.3 million.

1980
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1980.html>
for more information)
– Mail-out/mail-back program expanded, with about 95 percent of the
population enumerated in this manner.
– Short form contained seven population and 11 housing questions; the
long form contained an additional 26 population and 10 housing
questions.
– Question on Hispanic origin asked of everyone for the first time.
– Two small surveys included in the census: Components of Inventory
Change Survey and Residential Finance Survey.
– An extensive public service advertising campaign was directed by the
Census Publicity Office, which was established in 1978. The Census
Bureau secured the free services of the Ad Council.
– “M-Night” (for mission) and “T-Night” (for transient) held to
enumerate historically hard-to-count individuals.
– First use of the newly developed State Data Center Program to
simplify public access to data available on computer tapes.
– Ronald Reagan elected president.
– Phoenix and San Diego now among the nation’s 10 most populous cities.
– Number of enumerators: 458,523.
– U.S. population: 226.5 million.

1990
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1990.html>
for more information)
– Short form asked 13 questions and long form 45 questions.
– Question on congregate housing added, question on disability revised,
and questions on presence of air conditioning, the number of
bathrooms, and type of heating equipment dropped.
– Promotion activities included complete count committees and Census in
Schools program.
– “S-Night,” a one-night sweep of homeless shelters and other areas
where the homeless were known to congregate, was conducted.
– First time Census Bureau defined census tracts and census blocks for
the entire nation.
– TIGER (Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing),
a computerized representation of various map features, introduced.
– Tabulations released on CD-ROM for first time.
– San Antonio among the 10 most populous cities.
– Number of enumerators: 510,200.
– U.S. population: 248.7 million.

2000
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/2000.html>
for more information)
– Short form asked seven questions; the long form asked 52 questions.
– For the first time, respondents could check as many boxes as
necessary to identify their race.
– Question on grandparents as caregivers added, while questions on
children ever born, source of water, sewage disposal and condo status
were dropped. Questions on disability expanded.
– Census Bureau embarks on aggressive paid advertising campaign with
Young and Rubicam. This campaign contributed to the rise in the
mail-back rate to 67 percent.
– Additional option for answering the census: telephone questionnaire
assistance centers taking responses to the short form over the phone
in six languages. This was the first census in which such centers
operated.
– Internet became the principal dissemination medium for Census 2000
data.
– Optical character scanners used to process returned questionnaires.
– U.S. population: 281.4 million.

2010
(See 2010 Census by the Numbers Facts for Features for more information)
– Census form is one of the shortest in history: just 10 questions that
only take about 10 minutes to answer.
– Integrated communications campaign with DraftFCB and many
subcontractors to boost public awareness and participation through
paid advertising, a Road Tour, Census in Schools, partnership, social
media, a NASCAR race car and an interactive 2010 Census Web site. Ads
in 28 languages (in contrast to 17 languages in 2000) to reach all
segments of the population.
– The “long form” no longer exists, having been converted to an ongoing
survey throughout the decade (American Community Survey).
– Questions very basic: asking about topics such as name, age, race,
Hispanic origin and homeownership.
– Households in areas with high concentrations of Spanish-speaking
residents receive a bilingual (English/Spanish) form.
– Expected U.S. population: around 309 million.

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