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Kathleen M. StylesAssistant Division Chief for Content and Outreach

Decennial Management DivisionUnited States Census Bureau

Prepared for the Joint United Nations Economic Council for Europe/Eurostat Meeting on Population and Housing Censuses

Geneva, Switzerland, May 2008

The 2010 Census: Enumerating the Hard to Count, including Migrant and Seasonal

Farm Workers

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Migrant and seasonal farm worker populations pose several census challenges, including:

• Fear and Mistrust. Many are recent immigrants and distrust governmental authorities.

• Unconventional housing arrangements. Many live in temporary, unconventional, or overcrowded dwellings.

• Language and literacy. Many speak languages other than English and some are not fully literate.

• Mobility. Migrant workers are, by their nature, mobile. 

Challenges of Measuring MSFW Population

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Reaching Hard to Count Populations Through The Language Program

•Inability to communicate in English is a barrier to enumeration in the census.

•Growth of the linguistically isolated population (4.8% of all households in 2006)

•2010 Census Language Program

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Key Elements of Language Program

•Mailing of bilingual Spanish/English census forms

•Translation of questionnaire into five primary non-English languages: Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Russian

•Language guides in at least 50 languages

•Telephone assistance in 5 primary languages

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Reaching Hard to Count Populations Through An

Integrated Communications Program

•Census 2000 expanded outreach campaign, including the use of paid media.

•Integrated communications program

•Advertising and public relations

•Segmentation research

•Local and national partnerships

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Reaching Hard to Count Populations Through Specialized Operations

•Research about the population

•Accurate census address list

•Address Canvassing the year before the census, using a HHC

•Diverse workforce

•Be Counted program

•Service based enumeration

•Enumeration of transitory locations

•Tailored enumeration efforts

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