Information has come forward that there has been a privacy lapse in the 2010 census data. The race and ethnicity of 138 million Americans may have been compromised. The biggest issue is that people will not trust the bureau to keep their private information safe, which is just another reason for people to not fill out their census forms.
Also in question is the much-debated proposed citizenship question, which the Supreme Court has now agreed to hear. The fear is that citizens will withhold completing their census or lie because of possible repercussions from the answers at a time when many people do not trust the government.
Not filling out your census form could affect distribution of federal money and allocation of seats in the House of Representatives. Also important is that the census gives us a snapshot of the race and ethnicity of our country, which could be vital to our knowing how many people self-identify as biracial or multiracial, also called “two or more races” by the Census Bureau. Project RACE will keep you up-to-date about these and other important issues.