During the winter quarter, Dr. Esteban (right) discussed the importance of participating in the census during the College of Communication's information tabling session, hosted by students Adriana Talavera (left) and Abigail Barbeau. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)Today, April 1, is National Census Day, and by now you should have received an invitation in the mail to participate in this important undertaking. If you haven't already done so, Mayor of Chicago Lori Lightfoot is asking large employers, such as DePaul, to encourage its employees to respond to the census. It takes only a few minutes and will make a difference for our city and our state.
You can complete the questionnaire online, and your personal information is secure. The questionnaire is short and only asks for basic information, such as age, race and type of housing for people living in your household. It does not ask for sensitive information, such as social security numbers, immigration status or bank account information. If you have questions on how to fill out the form, you can find answers online.
If you have not already completed the form, you can do so online today at https://my2020census.gov/. The website begins by asking you for 12 digit census ID, but you can complete the census without the census ID by simply choosing the “If you do not have a census ID, click here" option at the bottom of the page.
Federal political representation and billions of dollars of federal spending are determined by the Census. Please take a moment to help ensure that Chicago and Illinois have the most accurate count possible. During this time of shelter-at-home and social distancing, it is easy to overlook something as simple as the census. However, an inaccurate count will have repercussions for our community for the next decade. Make Yourself Count!