When it comes to keeping track of their residents, more cities should be like Provo. Few take their population count as seriously as Utah's second-largest city.
For this year's census, Provo officials are taking steps to more accurately count Hispanics and Pacific Islanders, two groups that typically are undercounted. In addition, special measures are planned to count thousands of elusive college students who attend Brigham Young University and Utah Valley State College.BYU students complete their winter semester classes in mid-April, and many of them will leave town -- at the same time the Bureau of the Census is trying to count them all. BYU administrators sent an e-mail message to all 30,000 students recently emphasizing the importance of being counted in the census. Also, many students have been recruited for training as enumerators.
Keeping track of population means more than just having accurate figures. At stake in the census is legislative representation and both federal and state dollars. Provo officials calculate that each person represents about $160 per year in federal funds from various programs.
Minorities have typically been undercounted. New immigrants, in particular, often don't understand the role of the U.S. Census Bureau or how to fill out forms. Others may be suspicious of Census Bureau representatives. Hispanics were undercounted by at least 5 percent in the last census, while the U.S. population as a whole was undercounted by less than 2 percent.
Most households nationwide will receive a questionnaire in the mail in late March. By late April, those who haven't responded will receive a mailed reminder and possibly a visit from a census taker.
Cities like Provo will make sure their residents are not only adequately informed but encouraged to stand and be counted, and that will pay off in the long run.