The Digital Divide Could Hurt the Count of Latinos in the Census

The 2020 Census is different from past surveys in two important ways. It is the first time that the Census Bureau will offer an online response option, and could be the first time in decades that a question about respondents’ citizenship will appear. The National Latino Commission on Census 2020 and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials released a report that explores the challenges posed by the intersection of these new factors. Though the online response option is meant to make it easier to respond to the Census, leaders of the Latino community are skeptical that it will achieve its goals. The report says the focus on online participation will likely “depress the response rate of immigrants—Latinos in particular—as well as of the elderly and rural residents.”