Asians And Census 2000
There are numerous reasons why full participation is in the Census 2000 is
important to the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. The estimated
undercount of the Asian Pacific Islander community in 1990 was 2.3%. Because
census data is the basis for almost all demographic information used by policy
makers, educators, and community leaders, undercounted communities miss out on
their fair share of federal funding for services, adequate governmental
representation, and enforcement of civil rights laws that prevent
discrimination. An undercount prevents government and other agencies from
planning for and implementing culturally and linguistically appropriate services
for the Asian Pacific Islander community. (U.S. Census Bureau) Unfortunately,
the Asian Pacific Islander community is at risk for a high undercount in the
upcoming census. Undercounts tend to be high in communities in which there are
language barriers, resistance to outsiders, suspicion of government, disbelief
of census confidentiality, non-traditional household living arrangements,
irregular housing, large numbers of children, large proportions of renters, and
among people or families who are highly mobile. (U.S. Census Bureau) One
important reason for full participation by Asian American and Pacific Islander
communities is the need for adequate governmental representation.
Reapportionment occurs after every census, which is when political districts are
reconfigured to reflect changes in the population. When Asian Americans and
Pacific Islanders are not counted, they are not assigned the correct number of
representatives. It is important that they have a voice in the government.
There
is a need for political empowerment among the Asian American and Pacific
Islander communities, and that can happen only when there is accurate
representation, which is the result of an accurate census count. Another
important reason for the full participation of Asian American and Pacific
Islander communities is the need for community funding. Hundreds of billions of
dollars in federal, state, and county funding are allocated each year on the
basis of census information. This money is used to support schools, employment
services, housing assistance, hospital services, programs for the elderly and
disabled, child care, substance abuse prevention, battered woman’s shelters, and
transportation. If there is not an accurate count, the Asian American and
Pacific Islander communities will lose out on millions of dollars for community
funding. Census information is also used to identify areas that require
assistance in languages other than English. For example, it is used to determine
whether bilingual material is needed during elections. It also helps government
agencies serve the needs of limited English proficient people in education,
health care, police and emergency services. This is very important for Asian
Americans and Pacific Islanders that speak a language other than English,
especially in terms of bilingual voting documents, which allow them to
participate in the political process. Fortunately, many efforts are being made
to ensure that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are not undercounted in the
next census. An Asian Pacific Islander Census 2000 Task Force was formed to
organize community education around Census 2000. Community education materials
are being translated into the numerous Asian Pacific Islander languages.
Bilingual enumerators are being recruited to reach out to non-responding
households. These proactive measures will help ensure a more accurate count for
Census 2000, which will greatly benefit the Asian American and Asian Pacific
Islander communities.
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