As the 2020 Census concludes at the end of September, a large majority of the mayors of America’s major cities are extremely concerned that their cities’ populations will be undercounted. In the 2020 Menino Survey of Mayors, we asked a representative set of 125 mayors about their efforts to ensure an accurate census count and their concerns about who in the city might not be counted. This brief
- summarizes the mayors’ level of concern about census response in their cities;
- evaluates how well it corresponds to reality in their cities; and
- highlights some of the tactics they are using and the challenges they are working against to increase response rates.
Among other things, this analysis illuminates mayors’ level of engagement with the census.
The 2020 Menino Survey of Mayors details insights and perspectives shared by a representative sample of over 100 mayors leading U.S. cities with populations of more than 75,000 residents. Now in its seventh year, the Menino Survey is based on live interviews with mayors on their pressing challenges, priorities, and expectations for the future. This year’s Survey explores mayoral views on Covid-19 recovery and implications, policing
and protests, parks and greenspace, and the 2020 Census.
- Report
Counting the City: Mayoral Views on the 2020 Census
As the 2020 Census concludes at the end of September, a large majority of the mayors of America’s major cities are extremely concerned that their cities’ populations will be undercounted. In the 2020 Menino Survey of Mayors, we asked a representative set of 125 mayors about their efforts to ensure an accurate census count and their concerns about who in the city might not be counted.Download PDF