Effect of Covid-19 College Shutdowns on 2020 Census University Group Quarters Counts

Hi, Cliff: We put together an explainer re: college students and the census and have been updating it with COVID-19-related guidance. I hope this helps!

www.ncdemography.org/.../

We will continue to update it with any additional information from the Bureau.

Best,
Becky

Todd, I do understand the additional confusion. I have talked to very senior Census HQ staff, and here's the bottom line.

The residence rule governing where college students should be counted will not change, despite the changed living circumstances some might be facing as of April 1st due to the coronavirus (CV). The bureau understands that the count of these students, temporarily displaced even for months due to the epidemic, is critical for towns and cities that are home to large numbers of college students. Unlike some natural disaster situations, such as wildfires in Paradise, CA, where homes were destroyed and (therefore) uninhabitable according to Census Bureau guidelines, students have been displaced temporarily, and we are not talking about instability in the housing stock (also important for a census to capture).

The bureau is working with colleges that selected the Individual Census Questionnaire method, to encourage them to switch to the electronic data records transfer method (e-Transfer) for students living in Group Quarters. Fortunately, about 60% of all colleges/universities opted for e-Transfer so far (during Advance Contact operation). Students who would have been living in college-run housing on April 1, were it not for CV, will still be counted as if they are in their dorms, residence halls, and so forth.

The bigger challenge, I think, are students living on their own off-campus, in apartments or sharing leased houses with roommates. They, too, I have confirmed, should be counted as if they were still living there on April 1, even though they may have been urged to return "home" due to CV. These students will receive regular census packets through the mail, but might not be there to get the materials. This is situation to which Becky is referring. If these students have gone back to their parents' home due to CV, they can go on-line (or call) and do a non-ID response using the address of their "college residence." Their parents SHOULD NOT include them on the census form.

So ... what we all need to do is help the Census Bureau get out the word to college students and their families about how and where they should be counted. It's a heavy lift, but the messaging can be clear and simple.

I hope this is reassuring and clear!

Terri Ann

Todd, I do understand the additional confusion. I have talked to very senior Census HQ staff, and here's the bottom line.

The residence rule governing where college students should be counted will not change, despite the changed living circumstances some might be facing as of April 1st due to the coronavirus (CV). The bureau understands that the count of these students, temporarily displaced even for months due to the epidemic, is critical for towns and cities that are home to large numbers of college students. Unlike some natural disaster situations, such as wildfires in Paradise, CA, where homes were destroyed and (therefore) uninhabitable according to Census Bureau guidelines, students have been displaced temporarily, and we are not talking about instability in the housing stock (also important for a census to capture).

The bureau is working with colleges that selected the Individual Census Questionnaire method, to encourage them to switch to the electronic data records transfer method (e-Transfer) for students living in Group Quarters. Fortunately, about 60% of all colleges/universities opted for e-Transfer so far (during Advance Contact operation). Students who would have been living in college-run housing on April 1, were it not for CV, will still be counted as if they are in their dorms, residence halls, and so forth.

The bigger challenge, I think, are students living on their own off-campus, in apartments or sharing leased houses with roommates. They, too, I have confirmed, should be counted as if they were still living there on April 1, even though they may have been urged to return "home" due to CV. These students will receive regular census packets through the mail, but might not be there to get the materials. This is situation to which Becky is referring. If these students have gone back to their parents' home due to CV, they can go on-line (or call) and do a non-ID response using the address of their "college residence." Their parents SHOULD NOT include them on the census form.

So ... what we all need to do is help the Census Bureau get out the word to college students and their families about how and where they should be counted. It's a heavy lift, but the messaging can be clear and simple.

I hope this is reassuring and clear!

Terri Ann

THANKS Teri Ann. You were able to get the answer from the Census Bureau HQ. (I was not able to. I expect they're fighting fires there.)

The next things we need are:
For Census Bureau itself to package this into a webpage or post.
And to communicate it!
And then partners like you and I can point people to the new guidance.

In the meantime... what you heard from Census HQ staff confirms the information on the NCdemography website. I'm pointing people to that... www.ncdemography.org/.../

--Todd Graham

You are 100% right, Todd. The bureau should issue a clear, concise statement on this specific issue. I did tell them that cities were kind of freaking out about this and that additional communications and guidance would really help. :-)

Terri Ann Lowenthal