During the recent 2020 Census Program Management Review webcast, Burton Reist, chief of the 2020 Census Research and Planning Office at the U.S. Census Bureau, announced there will be census tests in Maricopa County, Ariz., and the Savannah, Ga. area in 2015 to research more modern and efficient ways to count the population in the 2020 Census. The tests will explore new ways for the population to respond to the once-a-decade census, as well as more cost effective ways for census takers to follow up with households that fail to respond.
The Savannah test will primarily focus on increasing self-response to the census by providing ways to pre-register and respond via the Internet or by phone. The Savannah area was chosen for its demographic diversity, level of computer ownership and being an area that represents a specific media market. This kind of area can help the Census Bureau test new forms of digital advertising and targeted promotion for increasing response, particularly via the Internet.
