Why does the Census Bureau send out so many mailings?
We find that this is cost effective overall. Getting households to return their form on time is the key factor for conducting a successful census. When people do not return their forms by mail, we must send a census worker to their household to obtain their answers. Many times this requires multiple visits, which can be very expensive.
The Census Bureau finds this is cost effective overall. Getting households to return their form on time is the key factor for conducting a successful census. When people do not return their forms by mail, a census worker must be sent to the household to obtain their answers. Many times this requires multiple visits, which can be very expensive. The Census Bureau estimates for each percentage point of the population that does not return a form during the 2010 Census, it will cost approximately $80-90 million to have census workers make personal visits to obtain the missing information. Conversely, if the mail-return rate increases, then the non-response follow-up workload will decrease, reducing the cost of the census by approximately $80-90 million for each percentage point of reduction. On the other hand, if the mail-return rate decreases, then the non-response follow-up workload will increase, costing an additional $80-90 million for each percentage point of increase. The”multiple co
