t
Census Taker Wants To See YOU
He's not a snooper or a tattletale, just somebody who helps us
build roads, make clothes, plan schools, and do many other things
by Jack Harrison Pollack
Some 160,000 men and women soon will be fan
ning out in all directions in the most far-flung
man hunt in history. They will cover roughly 25
million miles or 1,000 times around, the world in
pursuit of facts about an estimated 180 million
Americans from Hawaii to Alaska.
This formidable army of sleuths will visit 60 mil
lion city and rural households, bringing to a climax
the 1960 U.S. census, which is now under way. To
gather their firsthand statistical story of every man,
woman, and child in the nation, they will track
down people wherever they are to be found,
whether it be city or wilderness.
They will make their way into caves, mines, tun
nels, boxcars, barn lofts, abandoned streetcars, and
other unlikely habitations. They will fly helicopters
in isolated Western mountain areas, use rowboats
in the Southern delta, slog by dog sled along the
What the Census Will Show
After the 1960 census findings are completed, reports
running to approximately 100,000 pages will be published.
Here is a Family Weekly preview of what Census Bureau
officials expect to find. - 7 ; ' : , : :
1. The largest population increase in U.S. history.
The 1950 U.S. nose count was 151,132,000, com
pared with an estimated 180,000,000 in 1960.
2. More women than men. In 1950, women outnum
bered men for the first time by a million. In 1960
the feminine lead will probably jump to two million.
3. More young and old people. The nation had. 38
million children under 14 in 1950, and the figure
- may soar to 55 million for 1960. Similarly, the 12
million persons over 65 a decade ago may reach
16 million in 1960.
4. More married couples. In 1950, there were 36 mil
lion married couples,' compared with an expected
40 million in 1960. - , . ' v
5. More houses and apartments.. Ten years ago the
nation had 46 million dwelling units. This figure
wiU probably reach 58 milhon m this census. , "
6. More people in cities and suburbs. In 1950, nearly
- two out of three Americans lived in cities with
' - more than 2,500 population and in areas surround
ing cities of 50,000 population The 1960 census
. - will probably confirm this strong city-suburban
1 trend and a continued decline in farm population.
- 7. More children in schools. Thirty million children .
... were enrolled in schools in 1950. This year 45 mil
lion probably will be counted. vVv: -ft.
More women workers. In the past eight years, the
number of women workers especially married
women working outside their homes increased
by four million. The 1960 census is expected to
.show an even higher figure.
Arctic Circle. Their man hunt will take them inside
prisons, hospitals, and countless other institutions.
There is nothing vague or whimsical about the
questions they will ask when they come calling on
you. On the contrary t the information unearthed by
census sleuths will affect the way Americans live
during the next ten years. The facts will enable
government, private industry, and labor to plan
their programs with a minimum of guesswork.
New hospitals, schools, factories, supermarkets,
and transportation facilities will be built because of
what census figures reveal about us. Businessmen
use census statistics to determine their production.
An automobile manufacturer, for example, doesn't
draw a number out of a hat to decide how many new
cars to build. Nor does a clothing manufacturer
arbitrarily decide how many winter coats to pro
duce. Each is guided by census figures which give
an accurate picture of his potential market.
Even your state's representation in Congress may
be affected by 1960 population figures. The U.S.
Constitution requires that seats in the House of
Representatives "...shall be apportioned among the
... States ... according to their respective num
bers ..." Thus, California is expected to have more
Congressmen after the 1960 census, and Maine and
New York fewer.
The law requires you to answer census ques
tions, so don't try to avoid or withhold information
from the enumerator who calls on you. There's
really no reason to, since the information you give
is confidential and can't be used against you. In
fact, a census taker who violates the oath of secrecy
can be fined $1,000 and jailed for two years.
Chances are, census takers will be bitten by dogs,
chased by bears, gored by bulls, butted by
goats, and wet by babies. But it would take more
than such hazards to deter them from their quest
for information. They are prepared, too, for some
unique, amusing, and hazardous situations.
One nose counter in a previous census noticed
a prospector on the opposite bank of a river. Since
there was no boat handy, he swam across with
paper and pencil in his teeth.
In 1950, another census taker was barred from
a nudist colony until he shed his garments. Then
the nudists willingly answered his questions.
Nothing seems to faze the experienced census
taker. One male enumerator ascended an 80-foot
flagpole to get the facts from a steeple jack who
refused to come down.
Census takers are inured, too, to some surpris
ing replies to innocent questions. When a Brook
lyn secretary, for example, was asked if she shared
a bath, she replied indignantly, "I always bathe
alone.'" And a woman who was asked to name the
"head of the household" replied, "That's me. My
husband is the figurehead."
People often lie about their ages, especially
women between 45 and 60. One mother of a 22-year-old
daughter insisted she was only 29. When the
DRAWINGS BY DON MARGOIIS
enumerator pointed out the discrepancy, she ad
mitted, "I've lied about my age so long, I've for
gotten how old I really am."
On the other hand, men in their 90s often claim
to be 100. "Many men tend to round out their ages
upward in round numbers," says a census official.
In their rounds, census takers sometimes are
called on to perform acts of heroism. One arrived
just in time to join a bucket brigade and help save
a burning building he had come to enumerate. An
other, smelling gas in a city apartment, forced open
the door and resuscitated an unconscious woman.
The hardest people to track down are those trav
eling around the country in search of work or ad
venture. To reach them, on March 31 the Census
Bureau will stage a T- (for Transients) Night Enu
merators will visit hotels, motels, rooming houses,
railway stations, trailer camps, YMCAs.
In addition, on April 8 and 18, a supplementary
M- (for Mission) Night will be held. Census takers
will descend on skid-row dives, all-night movies,
hobo jungles, kitchen shelters, shantytowns, and
even less-reputable establishments.
To streamline the giant 1960 nose count, the Bu
reau of the Census has devised a new do-it-yourself
technique. This month, 380 temporary offices will
be opened to supplement the 17 permanent regional
offices. During February, the 160,000 census takers
and 10,000 crew leaders will be hired. And in late
March, every household and lived-in institution in
the U.S. will be mailed an advance census ques
tionnaire asking seven basic questions about all
members of the household: name, address, rela
tionship to head of household, sex, color or race,
month and year of birth, and marital status.
In addition, a housing section of this simple form
will ask the number of rooms in your house or
apartment, whether you own or rent it, whether you
have kitchen or cooking equipment, hot and cold
running water, a flush toilet, a bathtub or shower.
For two weeks starting April 1, census takers
will collect these questionnaires and transfer the
information to a master sheet. At every fourth
(Continued on page 13)
Not swamp nor snow nor bulls nor barking hounds
stay the census taker from his appointed rounds.
4 Family Weekly, January 3, 1960