Though the U.S. Census Bureau continues to temporarily pause field operations due to the pandemic, we are seeing Michigan’s self-response rate grow, mostly due to online participation.

Michigan is currently ranked number three among states in the U.S. when it comes to high response rates. As of Sunday night, Michigan's self-response rate was more than 51%, with more than 44% of those responses submitted online.

The U.S. Census Bureau is encouraging online participation as the Bureau is experiencing capacity challenges at its call centers due to staffing adjustments connected to COVID-19.

In a statement, the Bureau shared, “The Census Bureau is working to mitigate the impact on 2020 Census call centers. In limited instances, these staffing adjustments have led to increases in call wait times, affecting different languages at different times. We are actively working to reduce these wait times as we continue to offer phone support in English and 12 additional languages.”

Meanwhile, regional census hubs led by or in partnership with several CMF member community foundations are continuing to work with nonprofit partners doing on-the-ground outreach to ensure census participation in historically undercounted communities.

The Great Lakes Bay Regional Census Hub which includes Midland Area Community Foundation in collaboration with Bay Area Community Foundation, Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation and Saginaw Community Foundation, shared with CMF that plans with their grantees and local partners “have shifted due to COVID-19 and its effects in this community.”

Here’s a snapshot of what the hub and its partners are doing for outreach during this pandemic:

• Local school partners are including information from the hub’s local census toolkit in food distributions to community members.

• Local colleges are reaching out to students to make sure they are counted for the Great Lakes Bay region, even if they have returned to their hometowns.

• Digital and media promotions have increased. The hub’s nonprofit partners are increasing their posts on social media and promoting the census in radio interviews in hopes of reaching all who are sheltering at home.

The hub shares that a Great Lakes Bay Digital Census Week is also in the works for late April to spotlight local leaders and local celebrities promoting the census digitally.

Through the Nonprofits Complete Count Campaign (NPCCC), led by the Michigan Nonprofit Association, there are 13 regional hubs in total, covering every region of our state. Eleven CMF member community foundations are leading as regional hubs in communities around the state.

Want more?

CMF encourages you to promote census participation on your own social media channels. The Bureau provides social media graphics and language you can download and use to encourage your family, friends and colleagues to respond to the census.

Connect with the latest from the NPCCC. You can see what’s emerging from regional census hubs and receive blogs.  

Stay connected with updates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Go online now to fill out your census form today!