By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
A check of the U.S. Census Response Rate interactive map shows that the Downbeach communities of Ventnor, Margate and Longport lag behind statewide totals for responding to this year's Census questionnaire, either online, on paper or via the telephone.
The State of New Jersey currently has a 60.8% response rate, which is slightly higher than the current national response rate of 59%, while shore towns are way behind in reporting every household.
As of May 12, Ventnor had the best response rate of all three Downbeach towns. Ventnor's rate is 34.9%, while Margate's rate is 27.7% and Longport's response rate the lowest at 19.4%.
Atlantic County's overall response rate is currently at 52.9%.
Current response rates could reflect the difference between primary and secondary home ownership in shore towns, but property owners should know that all households are to be counted, regardless of where you live.
According to documentation from the U.S. Census Bureau, if you live in multiple homes throughout the year, you should count yourself at the address where you live most of the time. If you split time evenly between two or more locations, you should count yourself in the home you were living in on April 1.
However, all property owners should fill out a questionnaire for every property they own, including everyone living in the house as of April 1, even if they are staying there temporarily.
For any property you own but only use part-time, you should enter the Census ID or address of the secondary property and enter 0 for the number of people living there.
Complete instructions for filling out the Census online are contained in this flyer, census-seasonal-home.
The U.S. Constitution mandates that the population of the U.S. should be counted every 10 years in an effort to compile data used to determine congressional representation and dole out federal funding for schools, roads, bridges, transportation, public safety and social services. This year's Census is the 24th time the population of the U.S. has been counted.
A complete and accurate count is critical for your community. Questions asked include how many people live in the home, their names, sex, dates of birth, heritage or nationality, and how they are related. All answers are completely confidential.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Census Bureau has temporarily suspended field data collection activities, but they could be reactivated in June.
The best way to participate in the Census is online at 2020census.gov, or by calling 844-330-2020 for English, or 844-468-2020 for Spanish.
To see the interactive Census Response Rate Map, go to http://2020Census.gov/en/response-rates.html
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