01-05-2025
Every Kid Counts: Why the Fight for a Fair 2030 Census Matters More Than Ever
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The first United States Census was taken at the dawn of the nation in 1790, under George Washington's presidency and then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson (Census). The Census is the oldest continuous data collection effort run by the federal government, and is collected every 10 years, shaping the country's data infrastructure for over two centuries.
At its core, it is meant to be an official, complete count of the United States' population. It may record details about people such as age, gender and living arrangements. But more than that, the census is critical to the well-being of children and the entire U.S. Why? Here are a few things the census can do for all of us:
Representation: The census determines how many seats each state gets in the House of Representatives and is used to draw Congressional and state legislative districts. Funding: It plays a pivotal role in determining how we fund federal programs like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), highway planning and the Pell Grant program. Research: Governments and nonprofits utilize the census data to make decisions, such as planning community services, infrastructure and housing developments, and determining where hospitals get built. Equity: If done correctly, the census can shed light on disparities within states and communities, helping to fight for racial, economic and geographic equity.
The census isn't perfect, though. Unfortunately, children — especially young children, Black and Brown children, children experiencing homelessness, and children in low-income households — are most often routinely undercounted. This creates serious consequences for education, health care and other pivotal support programs.
And recently, there have been emerging efforts to erode trust in the census through misinformation, loss of advisory committees and attacks on census participation.
In March, following executive orders to terminate 'unnecessary' advisory committees, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick disbanded three critical groups: the Census Scientific Advisory Committee, the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations, and the 2030 Census Advisory Committee.
These groups offered scientific and technical guidance, including cybersecurity, survey methodology and strategies for reaching diverse populations. They have historically been bipartisan, improving census quality and community trust. Their loss will make it harder to design effective outreach and ensure vulnerable populations are fully counted.
Undermining the census in these ways weakens the foundation of the Kids Count data we use at the Michigan League for Public Policy — and important data used by organizations across the nation who serve kids and families. Kids Count relies heavily on accurate resident population and demographic estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
When census data is incomplete or unreliable — due to disbanded advisory committees, underfunded surveys, or the strategic addition of sensitive questions to suppress participation — it directly compromises our ability to measure and track child well-being at national, state and local levels.
According to Count All Kids, the count of young children was even worse in 2020 than in 2010. Researchers and advocates can't make the case for necessary policy solutions if we are undercounting vulnerable children. When kids are counted, it gives their communities more power to secure funding for programs that matter.
Trust is crucial to ensuring full census participation. Title 13 of the United States Code guarantees the confidentiality of census responses, making it illegal for the Census Bureau to publish or share identifiable information. It is important that people know their information is protected under federal law — this helps maintain public trust and participation, even amid political concerns. Building trust through community-based outreach, using locally trusted messengers, remains key. We must also demand policies that restore advisory committees and protect childrens' data. Investing in census education and community engagement hubs, and ensuring strong data privacy protections, will be critical for the 2030 Census.
The census is not simply a count — it's the cornerstone of fair resource distribution and democratic representation. Preparing and advocating for the 2030 Census shouldn't begin in 2029. It begins today. Protecting our data is protecting our democracy, and we must act to ensure that every person is seen, valued and counted.
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