BY DEBBIE ARRINGTON
Your private information will not be shared with other agencies.
Your personal information is confidential, and the Census will keep it that way.
No matter what you’ve heard or read, your answers will remain private. It’s the law.
Your responses to the Census are protected by law and cannot be shared with, or used by, any other government agencies.
Answers cannot be used for law enforcement purposes or to determine eligibility for government benefits or immigration enforcement. Census data will not be shared with your landlords. In addition, federal Census workers are sworn by law to protect confidentiality.
Your information privacy is a priority.
In California, community volunteers know that there is trepidation about giving personal information to the government. Residents often worry how details will be used.
Samantha Valadez, field director for Communities for a New California Education Fund, knows this firsthand.
“One of the concerns that we were worried about at our organization was finding fear in the communities and neighborhoods we work in over having a citizenship question on the Census,” Valadez says. “What we found is that once we talked to residents one-on-one, door-to-door or on the phone, we explained that the Census will have no citizenship question and that it will solely be used for statistical purposes to determine where funding goes to, they feel completely confident and they want to fill out the Census. Once they understand what’s at stake, they believe it’s their civic duty to participate and take part in the Census.”
- The Census will never ask for the following information during the 2020 Census:
- A Social Security number
- Financial information, such as a bank account or credit card numbers
- Money or donations
If a someone knocks on your door, you can verify if they are with the Census. Census workers will always carry an official ID, bag and letter. You can ask for this information before you open the door. An official U.S. Census Bureau ID badge should include their name, their picture, a Department of Commerce watermark and an expiration date.
Valadez stresses what the Census will not be used for. “It will not be used to give to any third-party agencies,” she says.
