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U.S. Census: Getting the Right Count (1990-03-23)
About this film
This episode of At Week's End with Neil Boggs discusses, 1990: The Year of the U.S. Census. Getting the right number, every ten years is a major undertaking. In New Mexico, isolated rural areas complicate the problem. That, coupled with the individual reluctance of many Native Americans, illegal aliens and the homeless, make an accurate census a national endeavor. This year's census is the most expensive ever with the government spending millions to get the word out and stressing the importance of answering the census questionnaires. All answers remain anonymous and are used primarily to allocate funds for future public use. Ironically, those who most often neglect to answer the surveys are the people who benefit most from a good count, the homeless, low-income minorities and alien families, and Native Americans. For these groups, the census often sparks fear and antagonism; it is a perceived invasion of their privacy. The Census Bureau is working with authorities to highlight Census Day, April 1st, the date designated for returning census surveys. Those who fail to fill out and return the questionnaires will receive a personal visit from a census representative. Despite criticism…
Directors & creators
KNME-TV (Television station : Albuquerque, N.M.)
Subjects
public broadcasting, AAPB, U.S. Census 1990, KNME, Neil Boggs, Roger Morris, Norma Rivas, Ernest Hatameo, New Mexico, Albuquerque, homelessness, Native Americans, undocumented immigrants, census enumeration, federal funding, demographics, population statistics
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