“Stand Up For Each Other, Be Counted”

This post is part of New America CA's blog series on how Californians can support a successful 2020 Census. For this installment, our guest author is Ely Flores, California Director of Civic Engagement at NALEO Educational Fund.

Despite challenges in the lead up to the nation's decennial count, many in the Latino community still have a positive view of the Census.

According to NALEO Educational Fund’s 2019 Latino census messaging research, “Countdown to Census 2020: New Data on Latino Perceptions,” 57 percent of respondents indicated that they think personally participating in the 2020 Census is “very important,” with 50 percent saying they are “extremely likely” to fill out their census form.

Still, Latinos remain at risk of being undercounted. Despite the fact that there will not be a citizenship question on the 2020 census, nearly half of respondents in NALEO Educational Fund’s research indicated that they expected to see the inquiry in the questionnaire. Many listed this as a concern regarding their participation in the census, along with worries about data hacking and information regarding immigration status being used against immigrants and Latinos.

As an advocate and a leader in the census space, part of my responsibility includes engaging my own family in census conversations. For the most part, my family agrees that the census is important, especially when we discuss funding for vital programs that are guided by census data, like MediCal and SNAP. Still, they are fearful of what they perceive can happen with their information once it is in the hands of the government.

While the first Census Bureau invitational letters will go out to households across the country next week, education and outreach efforts to Latinos have been underway for months. NALEO Educational Fund’s ¡Hágase Contar! Campaign — and its sub-campaign, ¡Házme Contar!, which centers around a full count of young Latino children — is focusing on educating and training community-based organizations and leaders in regions with significant Hard-To-Count Latino communities. But how do we get census messages to Latino communities in the most strategic and effective way?

NALEO Educational Fund’s research provided key insights into what type of messages are most effective at resonating with Latinos. Effective themes included language like “stand up for each other, be counted,” and “we're here, this is our home, we count.” Other messaging findings include:

• There must be special communications strategies to target and reach non-citizens and younger Latinos, as they are least likely to participate in Census 2020. Their apprehension about answering specific questions and lack of census experience suggests they may need more information and encouragement to participate;
• Messaging to promote participation should include themes around the benefits of local funding; and
• Avoid politicizing the census; most Latinos do not associate it with politics. Reminding people of Trump’s effort to put citizenship on the census diminishes interest and trust in the process.

In addition to the messages being delivered, it matters who delivers them. Family members— especially female household members — were the most trusted messengers among Latinos. People who speak for “the children” or “the schools” were especially respected as messengers. NALEO Educational Fund has trained parent community organizing and outreach groups like PTAs who are well-positioned to lead 2020 Census conversations in their communities and schools. Nurses, doctors, health providers and Latino community organizations are also highly trusted. Given this, NALEO Educational Fund has partnered with healthcare providers like AltaMed and the Community Clinic Association of LA County to educate practitioners and patients through numerous training sessions, one-on-one conversations, and 2020 Census videos playing on monitors in waiting rooms. We have also worked with “Promotores/Promotoras,” bilingual community health outreach workers who were initially engaged to do outreach for the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act. They were so successful that their organizing power is now being deployed on behalf of the census across California.

If you are a trusted messenger, take action today! Integrate the 2020 Census into your newsletters, social media, and weekly conversations with your stakeholders and constituents. Join our campaigns by texting “Census” to 97779 or visit our website, where you will find many resources and videos you can share with your community.

Together, we can ensure a full and accurate count of our communities in 2020!