Hope, Fear, and Political Efficacy: Exploring 2020 Census Participation Motivators and Barriers through Focus Groups with Non-English Speakers, Puerto Ricans, Small Race and Ethnic Groups, and other Audiences Sarah Evans 1 , Anna Sandoval Girón 2 , Jenna Levy 1 , & Jennifer Miller Gonzalez 1 AAPOR Annual Conference May 18, 2019 1 2 Disclaimer: Any views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the U.S. Census Bureau. The results published in this paper have undergone disclosure avoidance review and were released with approval 2020CENSUS.GOV CBDRB-FY19-043.
Outline 1. Overview 2. Methodology 3. Analytic Approach 4. Key Findings 5. Communication Implications and Next Steps 2 2020CENSUS.GOV
Overview 2020CENSUS.GOV
Study Overview Purpose • Primary goal of informing messaging for communications about the forthcoming census • Provide insights into the barriers, attitudes, motivators, and knowledge gaps that the communications campaign will need to address in order to motivate self-response to the 2020 Census Research Questions 1. What themes and messages should drive communications directed at various audiences, including rural and urban residents and racial/ethnic/language groups, to increase participation in the 2020 Census? 2. What motivators should be leveraged to encourage participation in the 2020 Census among audiences? 3. What barriers to 2020 Census participation exist among audiences? 4. What information is effective to inform audiences and address misconceptions about the 2020 Census? 4 2020CENSUS.GOV
Methodology 2020CENSUS.GOV
Study Design 2020 CBAMS Focus Groups held in March and April 2018. • 42 focus groups conducted with 11 audiences across 14 locations • 90 minute sessions • 16 focus groups were conducted in non-English languages • Interpreters assisted focus group observers by providing real-time translations of non-English language groups • Participants received an honorarium to offset the costs of participating 6 2020CENSUS.GOV
Audiences 2020 CBAMS Focus Groups were conducted among 11 audiences. American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Black or African American Chinese – Cantonese and Mandarin Low Internet Proficiency Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Rural Spanish speakers (Puerto Rico) Spanish speakers (U.S. Mainland) Vietnamese Young and Mobile 7 2020CENSUS.GOV
Participant Recruitment Criteria In addition to meeting audience-specific criteria, all participants must meet a minimum of two risk factors associated with nonresponse to the Census: • Rents home • Lives in household with young children (ages four years old or younger) • Low household income (less than $35,000/year) • Lives in large household (more than six people in household) • Moved in the past year • Female householder, no husband • Low education (less than a high school diploma) • Multi-unit or mobile home structure 8 2020CENSUS.GOV
14 Locations • Albuquerque, NM • Anchorage, AK • Bristol, TN • Cayey, PR • Chicago, IL • Detroit, MI • Honolulu, HI • Houston, TX • Los Angeles, CA • Memphis, TN • Montgomery, AL • New York, NY • Rapid City, SD • San Juan, PR 9 2020CENSUS.GOV
Analytic Approach 2020CENSUS.GOV
Analytic Approach • Transcripts were analyzed using a coding methodology to identify themes among response barriers and motivators • Rigorous and systematic coding of the transcripts using NVivo, a qualitative data analysis program • Coding calibration process ensured approximately 20% of the transcripts would be coded by more than one team member • Calibration quantified by kappas 1 • Final kappa equaled 0.82 1 Kappa is a statistic that measures interrater agreement. Reaching a kappa of 0.75 is a widely accepted threshold for “substantial agreement” for qualitative coding of this nature (Viera & Garrett, 2005). 11 2020CENSUS.GOV
Key Findings 2020CENSUS.GOV
Barriers: Lack of Knowledge • General knowledge of the purpose, content, and execution of the census is relatively [What comes to mind when I hear limited ‘census’?] I don’t know. Isn’t that • Substantial barriers to self-response like the people that want to know associated with lack of knowledge like everything? They send you letters to your house.” • Other prominent barriers correspond with, but — AIAN participant are not entirely explained by, a lack of knowledge 13 2020CENSUS.GOV
Barriers: Apathy and Lack Efficacy • Many did not believe it mattered if they or their families were counted in the census • Results were unclear and many felt any benefits were unlikely to touch their communities [I would not fill out the census because] I just don’t care.” — Chinese participant They won’t ever come into the hood, give us stuff that we need, or give us anything. You go out where she at [a suburb] and you see parks and they get cleaned up, you see areas and centers and everything. Well, we have none of that. That’s why I see a thousand kids on the block every day…So many high schools been closed. [It’s connected to the census] because they not helping. They not giving us no money. Then they up there counting, taking counts for everybody for what?” — Black or African American participant 14 2020CENSUS.GOV
Barriers: Distrust of Government • Quick to question the trustworthiness of the government in general and the Census Bureau by extension The government has always been intrusive as it is , and it’s • Did not believe the government would do the right thing with probably a level of intrusion. their data That’s why people are like, • Skeptical when moderators shared the Census Bureau’s ‘Hold on, what you want to promise of confidentiality know what’s in my bed, at my house, and who’s using my • Were not convinced that the government would not use their toilet? You should go mind answers against them your business .’” — NHPI participant The U.S. Census Bureau is connected to the U.S. government. I don’t trust the government not one bit , so I wouldn’t even if they told me this is [The government will sell what we’re going to do I wouldn’t.” personal information] in a — Black or African American participant heartbeat.” — Rural participant 15 2020CENSUS.GOV
Barriers: Confidentiality Concerns • Participants were often confused about the scope of the census Every single scrap of information • Many believed that the census asked for their that the government gets goes to Social Security numbers, which they were every single intelligence agency , reluctant to provide that’s how it works…individual level • Fear that the Census Bureau would share data. Like, the city government gets information with other agencies, a common information and then the FBI and then misconception the CIA and then ICE and military…” — MENA participant 16 2020CENSUS.GOV
Barriers: Fear of Repercussions They could say, ‘Look, this • Many participants believed that their answers would be community has, like, X amount of used against their community race or something; let’s avoid them, • Potential to see limited funding in a community due to or let’s define that area’… you can see it sometimes where they don’t demographic composition fund certain schools because it’s • Harm to individuals in the form of punishment for a in certain ‘bad areas.’ ” legal violation or, in the case of noncitizens, deportation — MENA participant [I would not participate in the [Someone might choose not to participate census because] they because] it can come back and haunt [immigration] will know where them ...Like if you get food stamps, ...and they we are and what our names will be afraid that it's going to affect their food are and where we live …” stamps if they report somebody else is there.” — Spanish-speaking (U.S. — NHPI participant Mainland) participant 17 2020CENSUS.GOV
Barriers: Citizenship Question The citizenship question may be a major barrier for people who believe… 1. Its purpose is to find undocumented immigrants 2. The political discourse is targeting their ethnic group – residents and citizens may also feel endangered [The purpose is] to make people panic… ICE is working with [Latinos will not participate] Some people will panic because they are different groups on out of fear…[there] is practically afraid that they might be deported .” deportation sweeps, and a hunt [for us] … Latinos are — Vietnamese participant it would make me feel going to be afraid to be like I’m aiding in that . counted because of the They’re doing a lot of illegal retaliation that could happen - For this census, a lot of people are afraid. It stuff, and so I wouldn’t fill doesn’t matter if they ask you whether or not it's like giving the government out any of the questions.” information, saying, ‘Oh, there you’re a citizen. The first question they ask you, — MENA participant are more here.’” are you Hispanic or Latino? And that’s enough. — Spanish-speaking (U.S. That’s all they need. And people are scared.” — Spanish-speaking (U.S. Mainland) participant Mainland) participant 18 2020CENSUS.GOV
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