How New Yorkers' Reluctance to Take Part in the Census Creates Problems for the Poor

If New Yorkers who move to other places during the pandemic are not counted during the census, the city may lose federal funds and a seat in Congress. The newspaper writes about this. The New York Times... The absence of just one person in the city could cut funding for education by $ 2295 and vocational training by $ 281.

When city officials took on the daunting task of forcing every New York household to fill out census forms, they hardly expected the Upper East Side to create many problems.

However, the coronavirus pandemic made adjustments to the implementation of this plan, which could have serious financial consequences for the city.

Only 46% of Upper East Side households completed their census questionnaires, according to a June 25 report distributed by Joseph J. Salvo, chief demographer of the Department of Urban Planning.

The reason is simple: most of the residents left New York due to the pandemic. “They're not here,” said Liz Krueger, a State Democratic senator, speaking of her voters in Midtown and the Upper East Side. - Nobody's here".

Many New Yorkers who had the means to leave the city did so at a time when a census was being conducted this spring. The neighborhoods whose residents left the city now produce less garbage than before, and the mailboxes are filled with letters.

Now, for census officials, the richer areas of Manhattan were suddenly among the most inaccessible.

On the subject: Top 10 richest neighborhoods in New York

Only about 38% of Midtown Manhattan households completed their census form. In the North Corona area of ​​Queens, about 37% participated in the census. Things are slightly better in the area, covering SoHo, Tribeca, Civic Center and Little Italy, where wealthy New Yorkers and college students live. About 46% of residents filled out the questionnaires there.

Failure to comply in these communities affected Melva M. Miller. In December 2018, she signed an agreement to conduct a census for the Association for a Better New York, a civic group dedicated to improving the real estate situation. Having decades of political experience, she could not have thought that the rich areas of Manhattan would create problems.

But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York. “When we started looking at the numbers at the very start of the pandemic, I think all of us who worked on the census were shocked and overwhelmed,” Miller said.

Some of these census sites include the most exclusive real estate sites in the city. These include Fifth Avenue corridor between 70th and 35th streets.

Even if New Yorkers asked the Postal Service to forward mail to their second homes, the census forms are addressed to the household, not the individual. For this reason, letters - unless New Yorkers have paid for the premium postage - prevents the post office from including them in delivery.

Officials hope that many of those who left the city due to the pandemic will return by the end of October, when the extended deadline for submitting the final census answers expires. But given that parents in Manhattan are now enrolling children in schools outside the city, it is unclear whether they will return to New York on time.

“New Yorkers who leave the city, and then fail to fulfill their civic duty and fill out the census questionnaire are really hurting our city - not only this year, but 10 years ahead,” said Julie Menin (Julie Menin, Director of NYC Census 2020. “This is one of the worst ways to act during the most difficult times in New York,” she added.

The census "is an esoteric event with real-world implications," the source notes. It is used to distribute more than $ 1,5 trillion in federal funds, according to a recent report by the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight Reform and the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. “An incomplete tally could cost the city its fair share of this funding,” the report said. "The absence of just one person in the city could cut funding for education by $ 2295 and on-the-job training by $ 281."

The city estimates that it receives about $ 1 billion a year in federal aid. This assistance is based on census data.

Funds come in the form of financing for low-income students and disabled children, financing for childcare and rental assistance for low-income families. Therefore, any losses in federal funding will be critical, especially now that the pandemic has led to a sharp drop in city revenue.

A census also has implications for the election. Officials fear that, coupled with a declining New York population, a potential undervalued bill could cost two seats in the state congress.

The previous census in 2010 was “the best publicly available”. In the Upper East Side, in 2010, the proportion of active respondents was almost 71%, which is significantly higher than the city average (about 62%).

This metric can be used as a reference at this time, said Steven Romalewski, director of the City University of New York Mapping Service, a mapping service that develops maps for census participants.

However, New York authorities say that it is unfair to compare the current performance of the city with the performance of 2010, since then there was no global pandemic. Considering the above, it seems obvious that the flight from New York caused by the coronavirus affected the fill rate of the questionnaires.

The pandemic prompted census workers to adjust their tactics, especially when trying to reach undocumented immigrants and residents of illegal housing who might be afraid to share information with the government. In areas of North Corona and East Elmhurst, where a large number of immigrants live, social workers turn to New Yorkers, waiting for them in queues, for example, at food distribution points.

However, reaching out to wealthy Manhattan residents who have fled the city because of the current health situation is more difficult, Miller said.

The census authorities have already spent $ 6,3 million on advertising, including television, which is broadcast in the Tri-state area, including Long Island. Krueger hopes this will have an impact on her voters who left the city.

On the subject: How do immigrants participate in the New York Census and why is it important

Access to residents by mail is key, as data provided by New Yorkers, who fill out census forms themselves, are considered significantly better than data provided by campaigners, who often rely on information provided by neighbors and doormen and obtained from the statistical process. reasoning called "conditional calculation". Relying on these methods is risking understating New Yorkers. “The census will be another casualty of the pandemic,” Kruger said. - I absolutely believe in it. This will really set us up. We will lose Congress seats and money. "

According to the United States Constitution, U.S. censuses have been conducted every 10 years since 1790. The previous census was carried out in 2010, before that - in 2000. Participation in the census is mandatory in strict accordance with the 13th section of the US Code.