NPR Census Reporter Discusses Michigan’s Important Role in 2020 Census
The decennial U.S. Census could determine if Michigan loses another Congressional seat, and a significant amount of federal funding.
The U.S. Census Bureau is gearing up for its decennial count of the country’s population. The results determine not only how representation in U.S. House of Representatives is allotted, but federal funding for key government funding.
The programs most at risk are ones that especially benefit kids, low-income people, immigrants, and minorities — groups that are most at risk to be under-counted.
Hansi Lo Wang is NPR’s go-to reporter on covering the U.S. Census. He sat down with Detroit Today’s Stephen Henderson to discuss the challenges of counting the country’s population and why ensuring an accurate count matters.
“A city like Detroit that has seen so much transformation since the last census, it is going to be a critical point to see the population levels,” says Wang of what is at stake in cities like Detroit in the upcoming census.
On the controversial topic of the citizenship question: “There is not going to be a citizenship question on the 2020 census form, however the Trump administration is moving forward with an alternate [plan],” explains Wang.
