Enumeration or counting of residents on the islands of Tinian and Rota has been completed. All forms are being prepared for shipping to the U.S. mainland to be tabulated as the follow-up activities are completed.
Saipan is 99 percent complete and on schedule for all Census activities to be completed by August. The official count began on April 1 and the first phase is scheduled to be complete by Monday.
“We continue to be encouraged by the cooperation of our residents. They have taken seriously that a great deal of federal funding for the next 10 years will be based on their answers,” said Juan Borja, Local Census Office manager. “Our response rate shows our residents understand why we need everyone to be counted”, he added.
The 2010 CNMI Census is a count of everyone, citizen and non-citizen, living in the CNMI.
Census data are used to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds to local, state, territorial and tribal governments each year, and to help government and community leaders make decisions about what services to provide. Many government agencies and NGO’s receive federal funding and that funding is typically based on Census data provided by CNMI residents. It is much easier to collect data for those who live in the U.S. because of the number of surveys that take place regularly and availability of statistics not available in the CNMI. The commonwealth is forced to rely on the decennial Census as the basis for much of the funding received.
“The U.S. Census Bureau is very pleased with how smoothly operations have gone in the CNMI. The cooperation of CNMI residents has been noticed by the U.S. Census officials,” said Rebecca Diaz Cartagena, CNMI Census advisor. “We expect all Census operations to be complete on time and even ahead of schedule,” she added.
The next phase of the Census operation, field follow-up, began recently. Residents will once again see Census workers in the villages checking on vacant units and dwellings where residents may have been off-island and not turned in a form. Census workers will also be checking maps to make sure every housing unit is recorded properly. All Census forms were given an individual number by census workers that match a number, or map spot, on the official U.S. Census Bureau maps
The random quality assurance program will continue as well. Residents may receive a follow-up call in person or over the phone to ensure their answers are accurate and that the form was filled out by them. “The U.S. Census Bureau requires each office to ensure that the data received is as accurate as possible by completing this important step in the process,” Diaz Cartagena said.
Once all of the follow-up operations are completed, all the Saipan forms will be bundled and sent to the U.S. mainland to be tabulated.
The Local Census Office is asking any resident who has not been visited by a Census employee to please call the telephone assistance center at 288-3040 so that a Census worker can be sent to the residence and either pick up the completed form or interview the resident and fill out the form for them. The hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Monday to Friday; Saturday: 12 noon to 8 p.m.; and Sunday: 12 noon to 6 p.m., except on holidays.
Assistance is available in multiple languages and operators will enlist the help of translators when necessary.
Residents can also speak with any Census worker in the field who can assist them in completing a form.
All answers given to Census workers are confidential and protected by law. Census workers take an oath for 72 years and face up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine for disclosing any Census data.
For further information about the 2010 CNMI Census, call 288-3023/27
