Skip to content

Jarvis Township Continues To Have Strong Census Response

During this worldwide pandemic it is easy to forget about the importance of filling out the 2020 census, this however has not been the case has not deterred those in Jarvis township with census completion compliance.

“Jarvis Township current has a 70.3% self-response rate, which is fantastic!”, Jarvis Township Accessor Jessica Dudley said.

It is no surprise that the response rate has been so high, many factors contribute to that including  being a well prepared and informed community.

“We have an internet savvy population, so I suppose I did expect the self response to do pretty well,” Dudley said. “Mayor Adomite also appointed a fantastic Complete Count Committee made up of trusted individuals throughout the community who helped to spread the word and answer any questions people may have had about the new online option.”

In 2010, Jarvis Township had a return rate of 85% which is overall is a good mark, however Dudley is looking for that number to increase.

“We are hoping to exceed that percentage. I would love to see a 90-95% increase for 2020, but full compliance is probably wishful thinking.”

The Census in itself is vital to allocating the correct federal dunes based on population. The government provides $675 billion in federal funds annually for community programs and services, such as education programs, housing and community development, healthcare services for the elderly and job training. This is no exception to Jarvis.

“The census is extremely important” It is ultimately the data that is used to determine how government distributes funds and assistance to states and local municipalities.  It also helps communities determine where to build things such as schools, supermarkets, homes, and hospitals.  For instance, if a specific supermarket chain requires a certain population before they even consider building in our city, than a strong census return is very important to a community such as ours,” Dudley said.

Just like in year’s past there will be a traditional mail-in questionnaire for those that have yet to fill out the census. The date those are expected to receive the questionnaire is currently to be determined, but is expected to be mailed soon.

As far as the COVID-19 pandemic having any negative effects on the census, that is not seen as an issue, in fact, Dudley said she thinks that the fact everyone is quarantined may have helped census reporting.

“As our extracurricular time came to a halt, we saw our “screen time” increase and because it takes only minutes to respond I think a lot of people took the time to do it.”

Leave a Comment