Incomplete Count Could Reduce Funds to CT

State officials are renewing concerns that incomplete participation throughout Connecticut in next year’s U.S. Census could have dire financial ramifications for state communities and residents. Of particular concern are traditionally hard-to-count communities and the lack of internet access, or only limited access, by many state residents, especially in some communities. The 2020 Census will be the first in history to be conducted on-line.

At the Census 2020 Library Kickoff at the Connecticut Library Association (CLA) Conference in Mystic recently, Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of the Connecticut Data Collaborative, was joined by Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, U.S. Census Bureau Regional Director Jeff Behler, and Census Data Dissemination Specialist Ana Maria Garcia in highlighting concerns and remedies. The Connecticut Data Collaborative has been designated as the lead organization in the U.S. Census Bureau’s State Data Center Program and Connecticut’s official source for Census data, as the state and nation approach the 2020 Census.

Officials noted that next year’s census will be the first that people can complete online, and while this will create new opportunities for participation, demographic differences in internet access present particular challenges.

According to the 2017 U.S Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 15% of households had either no Internet subscriptions (approximately 200,000 households) or dial-up only access (approximately 6,700).

In Connecticut, the cities of Hartford (30.4%), New Britain (28.4%), Waterbury (27.7%), New Haven (25.4%), New London (22.4%), Norwich (22.2%), and Bridgeport (21.7%) are among the municipalities with the highest percentage of households with either no Internet or dial-up only. North Canaan (24%), Plainfield (23.2%), Ansonia (22.8%), Putnam (21.8%), Derby (21.5%), and Winchester 21.3%) topped the list among suburban/rural towns.

Looking ahead to the Census, an additional concern is that, in some cases, households that have limited or no Internet access are also considered hard-to-count (HTC) communities. An HTC community is defined as an area where the initial self-response rate in Census 2010 was 73% or less.

Nearly one-quarter of the state’s population - 22% - live in HTC neighborhoods and are dispersed across 29 municipalities. They are Hartford, Manchester, East Hartford, Windham, Norwich, New London, Groton, New Haven, East Haven, West Haven, Hamden, Ansonia, Shelton, Milford, Stratford, Fairfield, Westport, Norwalk, Stamford, Greenwich, Danbury, Waterbury, Naugatuck, Meriden, Middletown, New Britain, Bristol, Torrington and Mansfield.

The challenge is highlighted by the fact that 34 of the 38 census tracts in Bridgeport are considered hard-to-count, as are 36 of the 40 census tracts in Hartford.

The state has formed a Connecticut Complete Count Committee (CCCC) to inform and help direct the State's efforts in the upcoming 2020 Census. The CCCC is an advisory panel of community leaders who represent diverse populations from across the state including elected officials, faith leaders, community health centers, chambers of commerce, community activists and heads of housing authorities. The members will work to analyze previous census undercounts and recommend strategies to ensure a full count in Connecticut.

Lt. Governor Bysiewicz chairs the committee, which is co-chaired by Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, State Representative Christopher Rosario of Bridgeport, and State Representative Pat Wilson Pheanious of Ashford. Riordan-Nold is among the Committee members.

More than 20 municipalities have also formed Local Complete Count Committees, and additional communities may be doing so in the coming months. Local Complete Count Committees have been formed in Bridgeport, Hartford, Meriden, Stamford, Norwalk, Middletown, Meriden, Waterbury, New Britain, New Haven, Danbury, New London, New Canaan, Greenwich, Torrington, Norwich, Hamden, Bristol, Manchester, and Windham.

To improve outreach to communities, it is helpful to understand their demographics, officials said. Riordan-Nold noted that hard-to-count populations include communities of color, children under the age of five, those who are foreign-born or with limited English proficiency, people who rent, crowded households, and multifamily, single, and low-income households. She also stressed the importance of student participation. For example, in Mansfield’s census tract that includes the University of Connecticut, only 52% of households mailed back their census survey in 2010.

The U.S. Census Library 2020 Kickoff at the CLA Conference last month reflected the role that libraries will play in encouraging and enabling participation in the Census.

“Every public library in Connecticut offers high-speed Internet access and public computers to its community as well as staff members who are able to assist the public with them,” said Kate Byroade, president of the Connecticut Library Association and Library Director in Colchester. “We are well aware that the digital divide persists even as it seems like everyone has a smartphone and knows how to use it. Just as we assist with tax forms, accessing social security and veterans' benefits, we will be ready to help with responding to the Census.

Byroade noted that “95% of hard-to-count communities in this country are within five miles of a public library - in a small state like Connecticut, that percentage is even higher.” The association intends to work with the state’s Complete Count Committee and others in the coming months. Already, libraries across the state have hosted Census job events, interviews, and will host training sessions.

Census participation levels have a significant impact on funding to the state and its municipalities. Census data derived from participants – and the level of participation - defines eligibility criteria, computes formulas, ranks project applications, and sets interest rates. At least 55 federal assistance programs base funding on the decennial count; six rural federal assistance programs rely on census data to determine funding for programs such as housing loans, rural rental assistance, and water and waste disposal for rural communities.

Local CCC’s can encourage participation by emphasizing how crucial the census is to the programs that serve state residents, as well as determining political representation. Connecticut lost a Congressional seat as a result of a previous U.S. Census.