The Bureau’s Outreach and Promotion Efforts Were Generally More Robust Compared to Those in 2000 and Were Implemented as Planned, but They Could Be Further Improved

		Paid Media Plans Built in Better Targeting

The Bureau refined its paid media efforts for 2010, in part to address  challenges from the 2000 Census. Additionally, the Bureau strengthened its outreach efforts in 2010 by  improving its monitoring and evaluation activities. For example, in 2000, the Bureau hired about 600 partnership  staff in the field who were responsible for mobilizing local support for the  census by working with local organizations to promote census  participation. Thus, the Bureau  increased the ratio of partnership staff per county and staff were not  spread as thin. We reported that the database was not user- friendly, which led to inefficiencies and duplication of effort. Moreover, most of the partnership staff we interviewed reported working  closely or having mutually supportive relationships with local census  office staff. The Bureau Enhanced Enumeration Programs Aimed at HTC Groups; Additional Refinements Could Improve Them for 2020

		Aspects of 2010 SBE Were Refined to Address Implementation Issues from 2000 and Better Enumerate HTC Groups

To improve its ability to count individuals without conventional housing,  the Bureau made a number of improvements to SBE, many of which were  designed to address challenges experienced in 2000. In response to  service providers’ requests for more flexibility on scheduling enumeration  during the 3-day operation, the Bureau trained census workers to  enumerate all types of SBE facilities. Advanced Visits Helped Enhance Service Providers’ Readiness for Enumeration

Our observers reported that facilities were prepared for SBE enumeration  in 35 of 56 visits to SBE facilities. Overstaffing can lead to  unnecessarily higher labor costs and poor productivity, while  understaffing can affect the Bureau’s ability to obtain a complete count at  a particular site. Also, while most LCOMs we surveyed were satisfied with SBE staffing  levels, pockets of dissatisfaction existed at some locations. Be Counted/QAC Programs Were Implemented as Planned, but Visibility Issues Remain a Concern

For 2010, the Bureau developed plans that according to Bureau officials,  were designed to address challenges that the Be Counted/QAC programs  faced during the 2000 Census, such as (1) visibility of sites, (2) ability of  the public to find where the Be Counted/QAC sites were located, and   (3) monitoring of site activity. The Bureau opened around 38,000 sites, conducted the Be  Counted/QAC program as scheduled from March 19 through April 19, and  completed the Be Counted/QAC program under budget. Site Selection Guidance Does Not Consider Potential Activity Levels

Along with visibility, the procedures used to select Be Counted/QAC sites  are also key to the effectiveness of the program because they affect the  extent to which sites are easily accessible to targeted populations. Moving  forward, it will also be important for the Bureau to explore ways to  maximize the Be Counted/QAC program’s ability to increase the number of  forms returned and checked in from the target population for the 2020  Census and, ultimately, determine whether fewer but more strategically  placed sites could produce more cost-effective results. Conclusions

In 2010, the Bureau was better positioned to reach out to and enumerate  HTC populations compared to 2000 in large part because its plans  addressed a number of the challenges experienced in the previous  decennial. Key focus areas for outreach efforts include  (1) ensuring the Bureau is using paid media efficiently to improve  response rates, (2) improving the coordination between partnership and  local census office staff to leverage opportunities to achieve a more  accurate and complete count, (3) improving the partnership database to  enhance its use as a management tool, and (4) making promotional  materials available to partnership staff when they begin their work to  improve their ability to develop relationships with partner organizations. Recommendations for Executive Action

To help improve the effectiveness of the Bureau’s outreach and  enumeration efforts, especially for HTC populations, should they be used  again in the 2020 Census, we recommend that the Secretary of Commerce  require the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs as well as the Director of  the U.S. Census Bureau to take the following seven actions:  To improve the Bureau’s marketing/outreach efforts:    Use evaluation results, response rate, and other data to develop a  predictive model that would inform decisions on how much and how  best to allocate paid media funds for 2020. The  Department of Commerce generally agreed with the overall findings and  recommendations of the report.
Why GAO Did This Study

To overcome the long-standing challenge of enumerating hard-to-count (HTC) groups such as minorities and renters, the U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau), used outreach programs, such as paid advertising, and partnered with thousands of organizations to enlist their support for the census. The Bureau also conducted Service-Based Enumeration (SBE), which was designed to count people who frequent soup kitchens or other service providers, and the Be Counted/Questionnaire Assistance Center (QAC) program, designed to count individuals who believed the census had missed them. As requested, GAO assessed how the design of these efforts compared to 2000 and the extent to which they were implemented as planned. GAO reviewed Bureau budget, planning, operational, and evaluation documents; observed enumeration efforts in 12 HTC areas; surveyed local census office managers; and interviewed Bureau officials.

What GAO Found

The Bureau better positioned itself to reach out to and enumerate HTC populations in 2010 in part by addressing a number of key challenges from 2000. The Bureau's outreach efforts were generally more robust compared to 2000. For example, compared to 2000, the Bureau used more reliable data to target advertising; focused a larger share of its advertising dollars on HTC groups, such as non-English-speaking audiences; and strengthened its monitoring abilities so that the Bureau was able to run additional advertising in locations where mail response rates were lagging. The Bureau also significantly expanded the partnership program by hiring about 2,800 partnership staff in 2010 compared to around 600 in 2000. As a result, staff were not spread as thin. The number of languages they spoke increased from 35 in 2000 to 145 for the 2010 Census. Despite these enhancements, the outreach efforts still faced challenges. For example, while most of the partnership staff GAO interviewed reported having mutually supportive relationships with local census offices, about half of the local census office managers surveyed were dissatisfied with the level of coordination, noting duplication of effort in some cases. Additionally, a tracking database that partnership staff were to use to help manage their efforts was not user-friendly nor was it kept current. The Bureau also improved the key enumeration programs aimed at HTC groups and the efforts were generally implemented as planned, but additional refinements could improve them for 2020. For example, the Bureau expanded SBE training by teaching staff how to enumerate all types of SBE facilities, which gave the Bureau more flexibility in scheduling enumerations, and advance visits helped enhance service providers' readiness for the enumeration. Nevertheless, while most local census office managers were satisfied with SBE staffing levels, pockets of dissatisfaction existed and observers noted what appeared to be a surplus of enumerators with little work to do in some locations. While overstaffing can lead to unnecessarily higher labor costs, understaffing can also be problematic because it can affect the accuracy of the overall count, and it will be important for the Bureau to review the results of SBE to staff SBE efficiently in 2020. For the Be Counted/QAC program, the Bureau addressed visibility and site selection challenges from 2000 by developing banners to prominently display site locations and hours of operation and updating site selection guidance. For 2010, the Bureau opened around 38,000 sites and completed the monthlong operation under budget. However, the Bureau experienced recurring challenges with ensuring that the sites were visible from street level and were in areas with potential for high levels of activity, and the overall effort was resource intensive relative to the average of 20 forms that were returned and checked in from each site. Moving forward, it will be important for the Bureau to explore ways to maximize the program's ability to increase the number of forms checked in for 2020.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that the Bureau take steps to improve the effectiveness of its outreach and enumeration activities aimed at HTC groups, including developing a predictive model to better allocate paid advertising funds, improving coordination between partnership and local census staff, revisiting SBE staffing guidance, and ensuring Be Counted/QAC sites are more visible and optimally located. Commerce generally agreed with the overall findings and recommendations.