Better Business Bureau has received calls from concerned people across the country who received a Census form in the mail that asked personal questions involving their income range and employment situation. BBB advises consumers that, while most will receive a short 10-question 2010 Census survey form, they should not be alarmed if they are chosen to respond to the 69-question American Community Survey (ACS) as well.

The 2010 Census form has 10 questions covering basic information while the ACS has 69 questions on topics such as income, household expenses, employment, education, and work commutes. Some individuals who received the ACS in addition to the 10 question form contacted their BBB over concerns that the form was actually the work of scammers.

“Everyone in the country has been prepped to expect the simple 10-question survey in their mailbox and red flags automatically go up when they receive the longer and more personal American Community Survey,” said Kim States, BBB President. “While the questions in the ACS might seem invasive, especially when compared to the 10-question form, responding to the survey is safe, important and required by law.”

BBB reminds consumers that the American Community Survey and the 2010 Census will never ask for donations or bank account, Social Security or credit card numbers. The Census Bureau may contact you by mail or phone, but will not send you unsolicited e-mails requesting sensitive personal information.

Following are a few answers to frequently asked questions to BBB about the American Community Survey:

How many addresses receive the ACS?

The ACS is sent to a random sample of approximately 3 million addresses per year, or approximately 250,000 each month of the year. This means that approximately 2.5 percent of the population will receive the ACS in any given year.

If I received both the 10-question survey and ACS do I need to respond to both?

If you receive both the 10-question form and the ACS, you are required by law to respond to both.

The questions seem to get personal, are my answers safe?

Responding to the ACS is safe and your personal information will not be shared with anyone, including other government agencies.

Why does the federal government need to ask me so many questions? In addition to needing population counts, communities need data about the well being of children, families, and the elderly to provide services to them. The information you provide on the ACS not only helps your community get its fair share of federal funds, but also to establish goals, identify problems and solutions, and measure the performance of programs.

I received a survey from the federal government, but it isn’t the ACS or the 2010 survey. Is it legit?

At any point in time the US Census Bureau distributes a number of different surveys to the American public and the topics and length vary. Before responding to a survey you received in the mail that claims to be with the Census Bureau, do your research on the Census Bureau’s Web site (“Are you in a survey?” Link) at www.census.gov/survey_participants/.

Who do I contact if I have questions or could use help filling out the ACS? If you need help completing your American Community Survey questionnaire or have other questions about the American Community Survey, please call 1-800-354-7271 for an English-speaking operator. If you prefer a Spanish-speaking operator, call 1-877-833-5625.

Better Business Bureau is reminding Southern Arizona consumers that some of them may receive an additional survey in the Census mailings most Americans are receiving this week. Two percent of Census mailings will include and additional set of questions called the American Community Survey (ACS).

The survey, which is sent out in addition to the traditional Census form, is 69 questions long, and is  more in depth that the 10 question Census form. The survey will ask more sensitive questions that, for example, pertain to consumers’ yearly income. However, BBB wants to assure consumers that the survey is not a scam.

Facts about the American Community Survey:

• The American Community Survey, an ongoing survey of about 3 million households annually, replaced the former once-a-decade census long form.
• Census officials say that answering both the Census and the ACS is important so that leaders and planners in your community have accurate data to make better-informed decisions.
• The information you provide on the ACS not only helps determine the share of federal funds your community will receive, but will also help the government establish goals, identify problems and solutions, and measure the performance of programs.

If consumers have any questions about the census forms they receive in the mail, or think they may have recieved a fake, they can visit www.census.gov for more information.

Every ten years the US federal government is required to count every man woman and child in the country. Not surprisingly, the census is a massive undertaking requiring the work of more than a million people to accurately count the hundreds of millions of people living in the country. Contrary to the myths, participation in the census is extremely safe and easy, and Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona encourages everyone to take a few minutes to fill out their census form when it arrives in the mail in March.

According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 12 percent of US residents said they weren’t sure if they would fill out their census form and 6 percent said that it was unlikely, or that they definitely would not return the form.  The main reason respondents gave for not returning the form was that they were just too busy, not interested or uninformed. However, a quarter of respondents said they didn’t trust the government.

“Some myths are floating around that are leading people to believe that the census is inconvenient or unsafe, but the opposite is true,” said Kim States, BBB President. “Not only has the Census Bureau made safety and ease a priority, it’s also in the public’s best interest to respond to the census because it will help the individual’s voice be heard.”

In order to dispel some myths surrounding the census, BBB offers up five reasons why everyone should participate:

• It’s safe – By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ answers with anyone, including the IRS, FBI, CIA, INS or any other government agency. All Census Bureau employees take the oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data. The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.

• It’s easy – The mail-in census form is only ten questions long and, for many households, won’t take longer than ten minutes to answer. If you don’t return the form, you’ll be visited at your home by a census taker at least three times. Avoid the hassle and just fill out the form.

• It allocates money and resources to help you – The information the census collects helps determine how more than $400 billion dollars of annual federal funding is spent on infrastructure and services that go to benefit the public including hospitals, job training centers, schools, bridges and roads.

• It saves you money – For every 1 percent increase in mail response, the government—and ultimately taxpayers—save $80 to $90 million.

• It helps your voice be heard – Redistricting is the process of changing electoral district and constituency boundaries, usually in response to periodic census results. Census information affects the numbers of seats your state occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives.

For more advice on filling out your census form and identifying a census employee, visit www.2010census.gov.