Poll: Close to 9 in 10 Latinos to fill out census
By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer – 58 mins ago
WASHINGTON – What boycott? Close to 9 in 10 Hispanics say they intend to participate in the 2010 census, with immigrants more likely to say the government count is good for their community and that personal information will be kept confidential, according to a new poll.
The Pew Hispanic Center survey, released Thursday, appears largely to put aside concerns that Hispanic discontent with the government's slow progress on immigration reform will curtail participation in the high-stakes count now under way. The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders had suggested a Hispanic boycott of the census to protest the lack of action on immigration.
Hispanics, who make up roughly 15 percent of the nation's population, still tend to lag behind other racial groups when it comes to mailing in census forms. But the latest survey suggests the numbers may be improving and that, contrary to conventional notions, the hardest-to-reach may not be fearful immigrants but rather disenchanted Hispanics born in the U.S.
The findings come as 52 percent of U.S. households had sent in their 10-question census forms leading into the April 1 "Census Day" on Thursday. To mark the occasion, the White House said President Barack Obama had filled out and turned in a census form for his multigenerational family, which includes his daughters Malia and Sasha and mother-in law Marian Robinson. The White House didn't immediately respond to questions about how Obama, the child of a white mother and a black father, had identified his race.
Census Bureau director Robert Groves this week also was urging several regions of the U.S. to step up their response. They include five states with higher shares of minority or indigenous populations that ranked at the bottom in participation: Alaska, New Mexico, Louisiana, New York and Texas, each with participation rates of 41-46 percent.
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