# Tear-up Census Survey - Goto Jail? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 3, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tear-up-census-survey-goto-jail/359235 "2006-06-03T02:20:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![xiix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/d6d6ee/32.png) [@xiix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xiix)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tear-up-census-survey-goto-jail/359235/1 "2006-06-03T02:20:21Z")
I’m in Canada but curious about answers for here or the states: I’m always hearing that filling out & returning the census survey is required of all citizens by law. A quick google confirms this and there have even been recent radio ads here with the message “fill out your census survey, its the law!” or something to that effect. So whats the penalty? Has anyone ever been ‘charged’ so to speak? Whats the SD on the legality of ignoring the census survey? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tear-up-census-survey-goto-jail/359235/2 "2006-06-03T02:24:50Z")
According to [this site](http://census.vivelecanada.ca/index.php?lang), which advocates boycotting the Canadian Census: > [@](#): > > **3. COMPLETELY BOYCOTT THE CENSUS** > This is the riskiest and likely the most powerful protest option. Under the Statistics Act, Canadians are legally required to complete the census and not to provide false information on a census. If you refuse to completely fill out the census, you may be fined or, at the extreme, jailed. Our understanding is that the maximum fine is $500 and the maximum jail sentence is three months, or both. ---
**Author:** ![xiix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/d6d6ee/32.png) [@xiix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xiix)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tear-up-census-survey-goto-jail/359235/3 "2006-06-03T02:27:36Z")
But I ummm, what if don’t know how to read or write? Yeah thats what I’ll tell them. ---
**Author:** ![adopted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@adopted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adopted)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tear-up-census-survey-goto-jail/359235/4 "2006-06-03T02:55:22Z")
You could try this strategy “One of his pet peeves is filling out census forms, which he has tried to escape by such means as travelling off-shore in a small boat or by **“magically disappearing”** at the time of the census.” (link here [The Wizard of New Zealand - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wizard_of_New_Zealand) ) Although if I remember correctly he did get arrested and spent a night in jail… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tear-up-census-survey-goto-jail/359235/5 "2006-06-03T03:09:28Z")
A “friend of mine” completely faked the last census form s/he got. Lots of contradictory information. So far, s/he hasn’t been arrested for it. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tear-up-census-survey-goto-jail/359235/6 "2006-06-03T03:17:44Z")
[Penalties](http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title13/chapter7_subchapterii_.html) for various failure to comply/assist infractions in the US.