How much is your house worth?
How much do you earn?
What time do you leave for work every morning?
The federal government wants to know, and failure to answer could mean $100-$5,000 fines for each unanswered question.
Information gathered through the American Community Survey will be used to update government population, housing, and transportation programs, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
‘The questions haven’t changed, it’s just now, instead of asking every 10 years to 10 percent of the population, we’re conducting it on an ongoing basis every month,? said Jason Mackie, supervisor statistician for U.S. Census.
‘We’re still capturing that 10 percent, we’re just now capturing it over a 10 year span instead of all at one time.?
Citizens shouldn’t be concerned about fines ? the Census Bureau is not a ‘prosecuting agency,? Mackie said.
‘Yes, it is the law, but we don’t have the resources to fine or prosecute everybody that doesn’t answer their census,? he said.
The questions do seem to be getting a little more personal, said Sandy Miller, elections administrator for Independence Township, who maintains the township’s address list for the census.
‘The information is detailed, but it’s not pinpointed,? said Miller.
As in voting, information will not be linked to specific individuals, she said.
Miller also said those collecting the data are sworn to secrecy under federal law ? breaking it could mean fines up to $250,000 and five years imprisonment ? and the survey provides valuable information to the community, she said.
‘Companies look at census information,? she said.
‘What sort of skills do people have in a certain area? If they wanted to build a publishing plant somewhere, where would be a good place to do that? They can look at these census books and say ‘well this would be a good area or that would be a good area.??
Households are selected ‘scientifically? by computer, Mackie said.
‘Clarkston, for example, has an x-amount of population, urban, rural or whatever,? he said. ‘So, we select addresses that show a representative of how Clarkston is with the entire nation.?
The U.S. Census Bureau started ACS in 1996 in selected counties. It went national in 2004, said Mackie.
‘Nationwide, we send out approximately 260,000 every month,? he said. ‘In the Detroit Region, we send out approximately 18,000 every month.?
The Detroit region includes Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and parts of Kentucky and Indiana.
The bureau used to send out short-form and long-form censuses every 10 years, he said.
‘The short form pretty much gathered how many people live in the household and the basic demographics, and the long form is exactly what the ACS is right now,? he said.
For more information visit www.census.gov/acs.