# The Census Bureau catches up with me **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 13, 2000, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-census-bureau-catches-up-with-me/25475 "2000-07-13T20:02:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-census-bureau-catches-up-with-me/25475/1 "2000-07-13T20:02:32Z")
Man, these guys are persistent! I sent the form in when I received it telling them nobody is a permanent resident at this address but I guess it was not good enough for them. A few days ago the neighbor told me someone had asked her and I told her to send them over and she said they had called at my door but got no response. (I was home every time but it turns out the doorbell was not working as I later found out). I felt sorry for whoever was having to keep coming back… Finally a while ago I hear thumping like they’re gonna break the door down if I don’t open and theres a guy… poor guy, practically illiterate, he could hardly read the intro (Hi, my name is X and i’ll be your census interviewer tonight, would you ike something to drink?..) Then he was filling it in all wrong… Is this a temporary residence? I say, loud and clear “YES” and he puts an X in NO. Finally I said, here let _me_ do it for you, and I did. Boy, if the whole census has that kind of reliability I wonder if its any good for anything. And I can imagine my neighbor the 85 year old lady trying to answer the same questions. She is so confused… ---
**Author:** ![Nanno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Nanno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanno)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-census-bureau-catches-up-with-me/25475/2 "2000-07-13T20:50:27Z")
I called them said I lost forms, never received new forms I called again they said someone would come by, I gave them hours I would be home, evenings only, they came at 9am oh well. I hope it doesn’t hurt. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-census-bureau-catches-up-with-me/25475/3 "2000-07-13T20:57:12Z")
I feel sorry for this guy . . . he got to go aroundc ollege dorms and give out census forms. He also had to see me as I woke up, b/c I had been asleep. Just kept knocking until I answered the door. I was not pleased, but I hid it well, I think. Damned 7-page form for me to fill out at 9 am . . . fucking census takers interrupting my peaceful sleep. Oh well. I suppose it’ll help eventually. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-census-bureau-catches-up-with-me/25475/4 "2000-07-13T21:04:42Z")
I work for a property management company. We’ve had the census here seven times about four properties (including one we don’t own). Three times for the same property. Obviously, the government doesn’t know what it’s doing. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2000, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-census-bureau-catches-up-with-me/25475/5 "2000-07-13T21:31:29Z")
I worked for a month for the Australia Bureau of Statistics. It wasn’t a picnic. I had to phone up small business who hadn’t responded to census forms and ask them nicely to complete them, or I could send a replacement. I received threats, a dog’s level of abuse and some nasty situations – particularly where someone had recently suffered a bereavement. We were only allowed to accept a refusal in the case of a bereavement. Why? Because the census forms are compulsory. We were told they were used to measure economic figures from the business’ point of view – stocks, shares, sales, optimism and the like. I can understand a business owner’s frustration with them, but it’s not some utterly pointless paper-pushing exercise – believe it or not, the figures do get used for economic policy-formulating.