BY JULIE MENIN
The 2020 Census is live, and now more than ever during this crisis we face, we need every New Yorker to get counted.
We need to remember that census funding is linked to vital funding for children’s health insurance, hospitals, and more. Furthermore, the NYC Department of Health uses census data to determine responses in emergencies, whether it be how many vaccines to order for a neighborhood to the demographics of communities, so this is not a time to be invisible.
It’s never been easier to fill out the census on your own from the privacy of your own home — and avoid a knock on your door from a census taker this summer.
But we need to make sure everyone knows how. To do that, NYC has an $8 million multimedia ad campaign to reach New Yorkers where they are. From TV to social media, newspapers, and beyond, we’re leaving no stone unturned to get out the count. And $3 million of that investment is devoted exclusively to ethnic and community advertising to make sure ads reach historically undercounted populations.
So starting this week, New Yorkers will begin to see NYC Census 2020’s first advertising campaign. Radio ads are currently broadcasted in English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Russian, Haitian Creole, Urdu, Polish, and Hindi. And print and digital ads will run in over 16 languages over the coming weeks in languages as diverse as Wolof, Nepali, and Bangla.
The key message? The census is for everyone, and our communities are relying on us to get counted. It’s safe, easy, and it will shape our city for the next 10 years. No matter who you are, where you’re from, how you live, or what language you speak, your city needs you to get counted.
But don’t wait until you see an ad to respond! If you haven’t been counted in the census yet, do it now and tell your friends, families, and neighbors to do the same. It’s as easy as 5 minutes on my2020census.gov or calling 844-330-2020 so make sure to fill out the census today!
“Making Sense of the Census” is a weekly column from Julie Menin, Director of NYC Census 2020. Every week we will be publishing pieces from Julie and guest authors laying out the facts and answering tough questions about this year’s census. Fill out the census now at my2020census.gov.
