Census 2020 - Multiple visits

[WebmasterMaryJo]

How many of you have had census takers visit you multiple times? I live in the suburbs of Los Angeles and filled out my Census form and mailed it. A Census taker came to my house and asked me the same questions a couple of months ago. Another Census taker called me to verify that the information that I submitted was correct.

Tonight at nearly 9pm another Census taker came to my door to ask the same questions over again. I've never had multiple requests for the same information. I told the census taker tonight that I already gave my information three times, and wasn't comfortable talking to someone while in my pajamas at 9pm. They'll have to send someone else out again in the daytime if they really need to confirm the information. I felt bad for the guy, but I don't typically answer my door at night, and especially when I'm getting ready to turn in.

How many others have received multiple requests?

 

[sonnyjane]

How many of you have had census takers visit you multiple times? I live in the suburbs of Los Angeles and filled out my Census form and mailed it. A Census taker came to my house and asked me the same questions a couple of months ago. Another Census taker called me to verify that the information that I submitted was correct.

Tonight at nearly 9pm another Census taker came to my door to ask the same questions over again. I've never had multiple requests for the same information. I told the census taker tonight that I already gave my information three times, and wasn't comfortable talking to someone while in my pajamas at 9pm. They'll have to send someone else out again in the daytime if they really need to confirm the information. I felt bad for the guy, but I don't typically answer my door at night, and especially when I'm getting ready to turn in.

How many others have received multiple requests?

This year I was “randomly selected” (yippee) for the more in-depth census, but it was all over the phone due to Covid. I had four monthly calls and they said they’ll call me again in a few months to followup. I’m surprised they visited you in person. I’m in Washington and California and us have been on the same page for the most part about Covid stuff... hope they were real

 

[abdmom]

I did the census online. Then a few months later, I was visited in person twice. The person who came to my door said a lot of the addresses were being rejected by the system. They recommended I try to do it online again and said if it had been accepted, it would just reject my submission. The website accepted my submission the third time. I have absolutely no idea if I've been counted. The census was really screwed up.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We did it online months ago. Haven't had any visits, haven't had any follow up communications for requests for additional information.

That would be frustrating to get multiple visits like that.

 

[Skippy918]

This year I was “randomly selected” (yippee) for the more in-depth census, but it was all over the phone due to Covid. I had four monthly calls and they said they’ll call me again in a few months to followup. I’m surprised they visited you in person. I’m in Washington and California and us have been on the same page for the most part about Covid stuff... hope they were real

We also received a more in depth survey that we were able to fill out online.

 

[disneychrista]

I don't answer the door, unless I know who it is , which is rare. When I do it is the neighbor kids telling me they kicked, threw or hit a ball into my backyard.

I filled out the census online the day I got it in the mail.

 

[amcnj]

Census people are still coming to your door now? I thought collection was wrapped up a while ago and now they are in the data processing stage.

I know my area had lots of follow-up in-person field visits. I am not sure if some were also preformed over the phone.

My understanding of the process is if for some reason your submission was not accepted then someone will come to your door (or per above responses over the phone in some areas) to try and collect the information. Some addresses could be bad or mismatched too, resulting in more than one address listing for the same property in the system. Or if multiple households reside at the address, or had in the past, there may be multiple address listings for the same property In the system. Thus you may have a visit for a response for this other address variation/other household, even though you already submitted.

Aside from collecting the data, there are also follow up visits to insure data integrity. Kind of a check on the collectors. I think the figure is around 10% may experience these follow up visits.

You must have hit the jackpot and been the recipient of all of the above! But it still seems odd to me that people are still going door to door, unless there are perhaps some data verifications still occurring. Is there a local census office you can call and see if these people are legitimate?

 

[NYCgrrl]

Filed online back in the spring when the man was still here. Had an in depth follow up via phone and email in the fall after his passing. No face to face contact but my area has been on one form or another of lockdown since Feb.

 

[mom2rtk]

Filled ours out online and did receive one follow phone call. Thankfully that's been the end of it.

 

[71 Truck]

If some one showed up at my door about the census months after I mailed it in I would kindly tell them " I mailed mine in have a nice day" If they insisted to talk to me I would ask for their managers card and I would call them. If they said they did not get it I would tell them" If they want me to fill out another form leave me one and I will mail it in."
In this day and age people randomly showing up at my door with no appointment, I will not let them in my home and will not give them any information. I do not know who they are even if they have some sort of ID, how do I know it is real.

 

[barkley]

the most visits i ever received was in 1990. i was living in a victorian house that had been converted into apartments. there were maybe 10 units but it could be confusing to figure out which was which b/c they varied in the number of doors each had from 1-3 with only 1 door listing that unit's apartment number (it had been built as a brothel with LOTS of bedrooms that were later renovated into studio and 1 or 2 bedroom full apartments). as a result i would get a knock on the door from census takers who were looking for other occupants.

kicker on it-there was one resident NO ONE who lived there had ever seen, we heard him enter and leave at odd times but not a one of us had ever encountered him. well, he never filled out his paperwork and after the census tried to contact him 3 times they invoked a proxy rule where they could require a neighbor to try to provide the information. i was the 'lucky' proxy who got tapped, the unknown neighbor had been randomly chosen for the long version of the census so i had to answer 'i don't know' to about a million questions (felt bad for the census taker b/c he didn't want to have to ask all the questions when he knew i had no information but it was required of him).

 

[Southernmiss]

Filed online back in the spring when the man was still here. Had an in depth follow up via phone and email in the fall after his passing. No face to face contact but my area has been on one form or another of lockdown since Feb.

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[dvcgirl67]

We filled out the census on-line, but still had three different census takers come to our door. No idea why.

 

[lynxstch]

We did ours online, noone came to our door. We did get 3 additional postal mailings, telling us to fill out the census though, lol!

 

[_19disnA]

Filled out the online form several months ago, as I recall, there were only a few basic questions. We don't permit random unscheduled people into our home, no matter who they claim to work for. In the days of covid, I would be surprised they are still doing in-person surveys, and another reason to refuse to let them in. If mutiple people show up asking the same thing, I would also refuse to let them in. I would do as a prior poster indicated and would either call the local office (using a phone # I find online from the official govt website) or by having them leave a paper survey to mail when completed.

For that example of being asked to proxy for someone else in the same apartment you have never met, I would have advised the surveyor you don't know the person and wouldn't be able to provide any meaningful input on someone you don't know.

 

[nicolita3]

I don't answer the door, unless I know who it is , which is rare. When I do it is the neighbor kids telling me they kicked, threw or hit a ball into my backyard.

I filled out the census online the day I got it in the mail.

If you dont answer the door, they go and ask your neighbor. My neighbor kept ignoring them and they came to my house and asked me the questions. I had no idea what their last name was or the birthdates of their children and their full names.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I just filled out the info online and never heard from them again.

 

[Hikergirl]

I did it online months ago. I got 2 separate calls asking info about my college age kids.
I also had to call them because they left a census packet at my camp property. All I wanted to do is tell them it was not a residence but I still had to go through the whole thing over the phone with the woman.
No visits but between online and phone calls it was an hour of interaction.
Next one I'm not answering the phone, and I'm not calling them for anything.

 

[ncc1701]

We did ours online but did get 2 visits asking about the house next door .It is a Duplex & no one seems to stay more than 6 months.

 

[71 Truck]

If you dont answer the door, they go and ask your neighbor. My neighbor kept ignoring them and they came to my house and asked me the questions. I had no idea what their last name was or the birthdates of their children and their full names.

Did they tell you this was their standard practice to interview the neighbors?
I can't see how interviewing a neighbor could guarantee them they are getting the correct information as you had said.

If the census people showed up at my door even though I know my neighbors I could not guarantee the info I would give then would be correct also.
I also would not feel comfortable giving out any info about my neighbors weather I knew it or not.