This toolkit offers resources to help inform student journalists covering the 2020 Census as well as students participating in the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) 2020 Bateman Case Study Competition. The Bateman Case Study Competition challenges teams of students to research, plan, implement, and evaluate a public relations campaign about the 2020 Census and to communicate how people can shape their future by responding to the 2020 Census.
Within this toolkit, you will learn:
The 2020 Census counts every person living in the United States and five U.S. territories—once, only once, and in the right place, as mandated by the U.S. Constitution. The census is conducted every 10 years by the U.S. Census Bureau. Data collected by the census determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and is also used to distribute billions in federal funds to local communities.
Your response to the 2020 Census is important because it helps ensure that more than $675 billion in federal funds is directed to the right places to support education, roads, health care, firefighting, and more, each year. Many decisions about where and how to allocate funding are based on census data.
See below for a variety of resources you may find helpful.
The Census Bureau and PRSSA have developed resources to aid student teams participating in the 2020 Bateman Case Study Competition.
November 14, 2020 at 2 p.m. ET
Visit the PRSSA Bateman Competition Webpage for more information: Bateman Case Study Competition | PR Student Awards | PRSSA | PRSA
For specific 2020 Census resources and an overview on why the census is important, check out the following:
To develop a greater understanding of how responses to census data affect local communities, use the tools below to understand the needs of your community and how your community will be counted in the 2020 Census:
Relevant materials on hard-to-count groups Bateman Competition teams may target for their campaigns.
A Complete Count Committee (CCC) is a group of local government and community leaders who help develop and implement a 2020 Census awareness campaign, based on their local community, to encourage response. Members of your community can contact your local CCC and work with community influencers to spread localized messaging that resonates with the population in their area.
Stay up to date on the 2020 Census by following the Census Bureau on social media channels:
Have questions? Visit ask.census.gov to find answers to frequently asked questions.