Nuestra Isla. Nuestra Lucha. Nuestro Futuro.

Problem: Puerto Rico Has the Lowest Census Response Rate in the United States.

Why the low response rate?

Natural and man-made disasters have negatively impacted the planning and execution of the Puerto Rico census.  There are 5 main challenges: 

• Physical Destruction:  Tens of thousands of homes remain destroyed or badly damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and the 2020 earthquakes. Addresses on census rolls no longer exits.   Many of the residents in these homes have been forced to move away. Others live in substandard conditions. Without a proper roof over their heads filling out the census is not a priority.

• Lack of Trust in Local Government:  People do not trust that the Federal funds which rely on census data for distribution will actually reach the people who most need them in Puerto Rico.

• Local Political Upheaval: Political upheaval beginning in the Summer of 2019 and culminating with the contentious 2020 elections has dominated the attention of local public officials and little consideration has been given to the census.

• COVID – 19:  The U.S. Census had to interrupt home visits in Puerto Rico because the local government had to impose a lockdown to contain the pandemic.  Home visits have resumed but people are weary of contagion.

• Census Timeline – The Trump Administration has decided to end the census count one month earlier on September 30^th.  This change will produce a census undercount if people do not respond soon. 

What Can you do?

Join the BoriCuenta 2020 Campaign

Nuestra Isla. Nuestra Lucha. Nuestro Futuro.