2010 Census Awareness Campaign SummaryMasterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Census 2010 Awareness Campaign Summary Report
DATE: September 20, 2010
Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens is transmitting the Census 2010 Awareness
Campaign Summary Report.
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
Mickfael C. Van Mil ligen
Dubuque
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2007
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager'-
SUBJECT: Census 2010 Awareness Campaign Summary Report
DATE: September 20, 2010
Introduction
This memorandum transmits the Census 2010 Awareness Campaign Summary Report
for the City Council to receive and file. In addition, correspondence from the U.S.
Census Bureau is enclosed. A Census 2010 partnership plaque will be presented to the
City Council at the October 4, 2010 meeting.
Discussion
The City of Dubuque formed a Complete Count Committee (CCC) to spread the word
about the importance of the 2010 Census and to motivate every resident to complete
and return their 2010 Census questionnaire.
After gathering the CCC members' input, a communication campaign was developed.
Concentrated in March and early April 2010, it utilized print, radio, cable television, and
outdoor media, as well as City Channel 8, utility bill inserts and Keyline Transit buses.
Special cable messaging was created in Spanish. In addition to the traditional paid
media, other tactics were used to create awareness and educate the community.
The campaign was successful. The mail participation rate for the city of Dubuque was
83% which ranked us at # 30 of the Top 50 places with a population over 50,000 in the
U.S. for mailed -in forms. The State of Iowa response rate was 78% and the national
participation rate was 72 %. Final rates will be posted in the fall of 2010.
By federal law, the results of the Census will be delivered to the President of the United
States on or before December 31, 2010. We will receive final numbers in early 2011.
Requested Action
The requested action is for the City Council to receive and file the Census 2010
Awareness Campaign Summary Report and the U.S. Census Bureau correspondence.
Enclosures
cc: Randy Gehl, Public Information Officer
Dubuque
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2007
UnitedSrstese
2010
Introduction
IT'S IN OUR HANDS
City of Dubuque
Census 2010 Awareness Campaign
Summary Report
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
The City of Dubuque formed a Complete Count Committee (CCC) to spread the word
about the importance of the 2010 Census and to motivate every resident to complete
and return their 2010 Census questionnaire.
The 2010 Census is a count of everyone living in the United States and is mandated by
the U.S. Constitution. Census data are used to distribute Congressional seats to states,
to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal
governments each year and to make decisions about what community services to
provide. The 2010 Census questionnaire was one of the shortest in history and
consisted of 10 questions, taking about 10 minutes to complete. Strict confidentiality
laws protect the confidentiality of respondents and the information they provide.
Background
In the fall of 2009, City of Dubuque staff (Planning Services, Public Information, GIS,
Housing & Community Development, Neighborhood Development, Human Rights, and
Cable TV) formed a steering committee to coordinate the City's efforts to promote the
Census. Jan Powers of The Powers of Communication was hired as a consultant to
assist with the outreach campaign.
A City of Dubuque Census 2010 Complete Count Committee (CCC) was formed in the
fall of 2009 as well, and included representatives from approximately 75 different groups
and organizations in Dubuque. The CCC included government agencies, educational
institutions, faith -based organizations, media, neighborhood associations, social
services, assisted living centers, business organizations, and labor.
Meetings were held in October and November 2009 to outline the Census process to
committee members, solicit their input on outreach plans, and identify additional
community contacts for the outreach process. Our regional U.S. Census Bureau
representative from the Waterloo office attended both meetings to answer questions.
City of Dubuque: Census 2010 Awareness Campaign Summary Report
Local Campaign Components
After gathering the CCC members' input, a communication campaign was developed.
The advertising campaign was concentrated in March and early April 2010. It utilized
print, radio, cable television, and outdoor media, as well as City Channel 8, utility bill
inserts and Keyline Transit buses. Special cable messaging was created in Spanish.
In addition to the traditional paid media, other tactics were used to create awareness
and educate the community. Complete Count Committee representatives received
regular tailored information they could distribute or use to communicate to their
constituents, through newsletters, meetings, events, etc. Regular press releases were
sent to area media and resulted in several stories relating the Census from the national
level to the local level. In mid -April the annual City Expo was held, and the theme was
"It's In Our Hands ", which focused on the impact of the Census on many City services.
Three Dubuque locations volunteered for and were chosen as Question Assistance
Centers (QACs) by the regional Census office in Waterloo. Those locations were:
Sunnycrest Manor, Operation New View, and Crescent Community Health Center.
Census employees staffed these sites for about two weeks to provide assistance to
citizens who needed help with their forms. Staff at Project Concern offered their
Information and Referral hotline to the Census campaign, and fielded numerous calls
from local residents. The Multicultural Family Center hosted several of its own activities
to draw those typically under - counted populations to the Center if they needed
assistance. Special efforts were made to reach out to African - American and
Marshallese residents. In addition, the Presentation Lantern Center offered assistance
to residents in their geographic area, particularly residents of Hispanic descent.
The Numbers
Budget
$25,000
From the City's Public Information budget
Print
Telegraph Herald (print and online), Julien's Journal, Golden View, Dubuque
Advertiser, and Dbq365ink
34 ads
Radio
Seven local stations
752 spots
Cable TV
16 networks
869 spots
2
City of Dubuque: Census 2010 Awareness Campaign Summary Report
Billboards
5 billboards
Bus signage
Exterior signage on 10 busses
Posters
More than 100 posters placed in local businesses
Press releases
Four releases sent, resulting in three stories
Three other stories in local media were generated from reporter inquiries
Utility Bill stuffers
Three
City Channel 8
One show continuously ran through campaign
Spirit Times (newsletter to City employees)
Two issues contained census information
Bumper Stickers
Placed on more than 25 official city vehicles and 27 Keyline transit busses
Results
During the week of March 29, 2010, Dubuque's mail participation rate was ranked at # 1
in the country, with a 70% return rate. The Mail Participation Rate is the percentage of
forms mailed back by households that received them.
On the U.S. Census Bureau website, as of April 27, 2010, the mail participation rate for
the city of Dubuque was 83% which ranked us at # 30 of the Top 50 places with a
population over 50,000 in the U.S. for mailed -in forms. Dubuque County's participation
rate was 84 %. The State of Iowa was in the Top 5 states with a participation rate of
78 %. The national participation rate was 72 %. Final rates will be posted in the fall of
2010 and will include late mail returns.
The final phase of information gathering began with enumerators, who were temporary
Census Bureau employees, who went door -to -door across the nation to collect data
from residents who had not yet returned their forms. This service took place through
July 2010. By federal law, the results of the Census will be delivered to the President of
the United States on or before December 31, 2010, and final numbers will be made
available to Americans in early 2011.
3
August 17, 2010
Laura Carstens
City of Dubuque
50 W 13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
Dear Laura Carstens,
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC 20233 -0001
Thank you for partnering with the U.S. Census Bureau to achieve a complete and accurate census count
in 2010. Conducting the decennial census is a massive and vitally important undertaking —one which the
Census Bureau could only accomplish with the help and support of partners like you. We appreciate the
time and resources your organization dedicated in helping to ensure a successful 2010 Census.
Your commitment to motivate the public to complete and return the census form will have a lasting
impact. As a census partner, you can take pride in knowing that your organization helped ensure that
the communities you serve are accurately represented in Congress and eligible for the funding needed
for important community programs, services and facilities. The 2010 Census data will help your
organization, community and government make strategically and fiscally sound decisions to spur and
sustain economic development and growth, and improve the quality of life in every neighborhood.
Once again, thank you for your contributions to the 2010 Census effort. We value your partnership and
look forward to continued opportunities to work together in the future.
Sincerely,
Dennis R. Johnson
Regional Director, U.S. Census Bureau
USCENSUSBUREAU
www.census.gov