Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona discusses the upcoming U.S. Census. (Photo courtesy of the Lt. Governor's Office)

MEDIA RELEASE

Lt. Gov. James “Duke” Aiona delivered remarks this week at the U.S. Census Honolulu Office’s Open House to discuss the upcoming Census and how the bureau is looking for workers who can speak the languages of the diverse ethnic groups in Hawaii when they go door-to-door to collect data.

“We want our Census workers to work in the same neighborhood where they live, so that somebody coming to the door speaks the same language and may even know them,” Aiona said.

Hawaii has historically had one of the nation’s lowest response rates to the U.S. Census, so the federal government recruited thousands of island residents to work as census takers and knock on doors in their own neighborhoods this year.

In the last Census in 2000, just 60 percent of Hawaii residents returned forms, the third lowest rate in the country. As a result, Hawaii lost an estimated $310 million over a decade in federal funds allocated based on the Census, or about $1,125 per person a year, according to estimates by the Brookings Institution.

Mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the Census has been carried out every 10 years since 1790. It determines political representation, as electoral districts must be periodically redrawn to account for population shifts. It also has an impact on a huge range of services allocated based on Census statistics.

Census day is April 1.

“We want our residents to know it’s easy and important to Hawaii and everybody counts,” Aiona said.

For more information on the U.S. Census, visit www.census.gov or call (866) 861-2010.