New Jersey Complete Count

About

In 2020, New Jerseyans were less likely than residents of other states to consider the U.S. Census important, safe, and easy to complete. As we know, a fair and accurate census count is critical to socioeconomic equity.

Problem

In 2010, 21.9% of households did not respond to the Census. Over 31,000 New Jerseyans were not counted.

Census data determines political representation in Congress, the Electoral College, and state and local redistricting. New Jersey lost a Congressional seat after both the 1990 and 2010 Censuses.

In FY2016, more than $22.7 billion federal dollars were distributed in New Jersey based on Census data. Census data determines funding for Medicaid, student loans, SNAP, highway construction, housing vouchers, CHIP and more.

Solution

To support a fair and accurate count in New Jersey, we crafted census messaging promoting

  • Awareness: What’s the Census, who completes it, and how?

  • Safety: Data privacy, cybersecurity, trust in government, citizenship concerns

  • Personal relevance: Importance for public funding and political representation

We used multiple media to communicate with New Jerseyans, including

  • Social Media: We created NJ Census accounts, boosting and promoting posts to residents, that shared basic info, Census impact, news and events, fun facts and data, and more.

  • Websites: Content focused on census importance, details on security concerns, how-tos, and downloadable outreach available for replication and modification.

  • Events, Partnerships and Media Coverage: We worked with the NJ Complete Count Commission, as well as a number of other external organizations (local commissions, advocacy groups, and businesses).

Motivators for Returning the Census

  • Funding for public services: The top motivator for all groups is local funding but people do not know the Census is used to determine funding. Hospitals and healthcare, fire and police departments, and roads and highways are the most recognized public services. Funding statements must appeal to the individual and use specific, tangible examples.

  • Better future/’fresh start” messaging: People emotionally respond to the idea that the Census could be a new beginning or opportunity for them personally.

  • Fair political representation: Inform people that the Census can lead to more fair political representation at the federal, state and local levels.