Census First: Answering Surveys on the Net

By Sushuma March 2, 2000 10:25 AM

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(AP)-The Census Bureau is launching a new cyberspace option this year, trying to get more Americans to respond to their questionnaires by letting anybody who wishes to answer them over the net. Instead of the traditional method of filling out forms by hand and dropping them in the mailbox, which progressively fewer people have done over the last three surveys, respondents will be able to log onto the Census Bureau's website and answer the government's questions with the click of a mouse. It's unclear whether allowing forms to be returned via the Internet for the first time will get more people to respond. The same worries over privacy and confidentiality that deter some people from mailing back forms also exist in cyberspace. The data are critical for the reapportionment of congressional seats as well as distribution of federal and state funds. In general, the more people a city or town has, the more money it gets.

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