2020 Census, starring the internet

April 1 marked the Census Bureau’s biggest push yet to get Americans to participate in the once-in-a-decade count. The outcome will not only determine communities' representation in Congress but will also have far-reaching implications for funding for schools, hospitals, emergency services and other institutions that have been central to the war on Covid-19. And thank God for the internet. Luckily, this is the first time Americans can respond by mail, phone or online — and the agency expects a surge in participation thanks to the latter. The national response rate was just north of 36 percent as of March 31; the bureau expects that to grow to 60.5 percent. The bureau anticipates the majority of households (a projected 58 percent) will respond online. Parts of the country with low internet access were mailed paper questionnaires in March and “at some point we’re going to have to send people door-to-door.” Roughly 500,000 census takers would be responsible for visiting the homes of people who don’t complete their forms, but that effort will be delayed until deemed safe by local health officials.