How do they know how many forms to send out? They need a census to estimate the number of forms to hold a census… 
They already have a good estimate of the population. And what does it matter if they print some that aren’t used. Sure it’s a small waste of paper, but they should be able to get it pretty close.
Last spring, the Census sent out thousands of canvassers to verify every address in the United States so forms can be mailed out. There will also be sites like libraries and post offices where you can pick up a form and drop it off, as well as sites staffed by people who can help you fill them out. Some households, the ones that don’t mail back their forms, may require duplicates, but I’m not 100% sure about that. I can ask tomorrow and report back.
So, yeah, the Census Bureau has a decent idea of the minimum number of forms they’ll need. Any left over can be disposed of.
Why not allow those of us with Internet access to fill these out online and save thousands of trees (and the money associated with printing the forms)? I realize that not everyone has access to the Internet, but a lot of people now do I hear…
The technology is good but it’s not perfect. Think electronic voting. The Census folks strives towards accuracy and an online census form may not meet their accuracy threshold.
Also, the Census Bureau has an extra $1 billion in stimulus funds to create jobs and do their part get get America working again. Stimulus projects have priority over any other government program across practically all government agencies.
There are two major reasons why the Census can’t be done online (yet).
The first is that the security isn’t there yet. It’s really not so much about the security, since many people make financial transactions online all the time without consequence. It’s about making sure that the public has confidence in the system. Not everyone does, so no online Census. This may change for the 2020 Census as the Internet becomes even more accepted.
The second is that there is no good way to make sure that some people aren’t double-counted (or more). The Census has enough of a problem with college kids and soldiers counted twice (once where they actually are and once at home with Mom and Dad); there has to be a way to make sure everyone is counted once and only once and in the right place, and there just isn’t one.
Social security number? If there’s already a duplicate SSN in the Census database, it can reject the new entry?
Not everyone who is supposed to be included in the Census has, or is eligible for, a Social Security number. To get a Social Security number, you have to be eligible for U.S. employment authorization. Also this would undercount a bunch of newborns/small children who haven’t gotten their SS# yet.
Putting aside the newborns/small children, the people not eligible for US employment authorization have to have some sort of government issued number, right? Can’t that be used?
As it stands now, probably not. The Census’s mandate is to count every eligible person in the United States, which includes those expats living here on work (and I believe student, but I can’t confirm this) visas, undocumented aliens, and people with anti-government sentiments who will not give you their Social Security number even on pain of criminal prosecution. This, again, goes back to trust; the Census needs to be trusted in order for people to feel confident that it’s OK to give that information. If you don’t ask for that information in the first place, it can’t be lost or misused. Other agencies that use this information aren’t under these constraints because they have to share their information with other agencies. The Census can’t.
One way around this might be to have a one-time-use code that is keyed to the household’s address. You would enter the code, and if you sent in a paper form in addition to doing it online, there would be a flag not to process the paper form. (Census forms are sent to the address, not to the people living there.)
But it’s academic because the Census Bureau isn’t doing the Census online this year and who knows what’ll happen in ten years when it’s time for the 2020 Census. Which means all y’all will have to suck it up and fill out the paper form. It’s 10 questions and takes no time at all.