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The American Community Survey (ACS) is a lengthy questionnaire sent to 2% of the US population each year, with highly invasive questions and mandatory compliance language. It replaces the long form decennial census questionnaire and contains sensitive details on countless residents. The ACS covers personal information, work, income, residence, and more. The Census Bureau emphasizes that all questions must be answered, but many citizens refuse to return it. The Bureau lacks the authority to enforce laws that require a response to the ACS, and no legal action has been taken against anyone for refusing to respond.
The American Community Survey (ACS) is a 21-page questionnaire generated by the US Department of Commerce under the auspices of the US Census Bureau. Funded by taxes, the lengthy questionnaire is sent to 2% of the US population each year. The survey was criticized by many recipients because of its highly invasive questions, mandatory compliance language that threatens steep fines, and stubborn follow-up tactics often used by Census Bureau representatives to get forms filled out.
The Census Bureau intends the ACS to replace the long form decennial census questionnaire. The information provided is entered into a central database. This database contains extremely sensitive details on countless residents in every area of the United States.
ACS modules are addressed to the “residents” of specific addresses chosen at random. It is the primary resident’s responsibility to complete the form, provide their full name and the full names of each family member. Other information that must be provided for each person includes a resident’s gender, marital status, age, date of birth, and relationship to another. The questions also delve into each individual’s specific race, language spoken, education level, citizenship, and ancestry. The physical, emotional and mental state of each resident, including any medical conditions, must also be provided.
The ACS also requires work addresses, the time each resident leaves for work, and when they arrive home. If the resident is not working, the survey asks whether the person would have been able to work if offered a job and other related questions. Self-employment, all sources of income, and total income earned in the previous year for each resident are also required.
The form also asks how many children each resident has delivered, if any, or if any residents are currently pregnant. The ACS also covers military service and retirement issues.
A variety of investigations are devoted to the residence itself, including when it was built, how much land it occupies, how many rooms it has, number of bathrooms, type of plumbing, and market value. The survey also asks for the cost of monthly utility bills, mortgage or rent, and the dates each resident moved.
The Census Bureau says answers to all ACS questions are held in the strictest confidence and that the information will aid city planning efforts. In terms of commerce, business owners can use the ACS database to see if their services or products could benefit a particular geographic area. For example, a large store might decide to locate a store in a particular neighborhood based on information provided by the database.
The Census Bureau emphasizes that all questions must be answered. The ACS envelope comes with notice that a response is required by law. The form threatens a $100 USD (USD) fine for each unanswered question and a $500 USD fine for each question that is not answered truthfully.
While big business benefits from having as much information about citizens as possible, many citizens are unwilling to give up their right to privacy. Therefore, many refuse to return ACS. This automatically involves submitting an additional form, followed by a series of phone calls. In 21% of cases, an unannounced personal visit by a Census Bureau representative follows in a final attempt to complete the survey. More than one visit often occurs.
Ultimately, however, the Census Bureau lacks the authority to enforce laws that require a response to the ACS. The Census Bureau can file a formal complaint for non-compliance, but this is somewhat impractical given the number of forms that are not returned or are returned incomplete. A lawsuit would likely attract media attention and a public outcry that would most likely end the poll or mandatory compliance. As of early 2007, no legal action has been taken against anyone for refusing to respond to the ACS.
