Coronavirus Forces Census Outreach Programs to Change Course to Social Media

On a Friday night as I drove my car through downtown Pasadena it was normal to see the streets packed with cars and locals out on the town having a good time. Now the streets are empty, stores closed, and locals nowhere to be found as the Coronavirus has taken the world by storm.

When it comes to the Census, everyone’s participation matters in how resources provided by the Government are to be shared. But concerns have risen due to the Coronavirus pandemic if people will remember to fill out the census which will drastically affect how the government distributes public funds to communities.

For this story I want to focus on the social media/ internet aspects of how the Census will be completed and shared. Since the Stay at home orders have been set in place, public census events in Pasadena have been cancelled and have affected outreach programs in the city. Since outreach programs can’t reach out to communities by going door-to-door, programs have transitioned to social media to promote completing the Census online as programs in Massachusetts have been attempting. Through phone calls and social media, I have and am attempting to contact locals I have talked to in the past and local officials to understand how the Census is being completed online and as well how outreach programs are getting the word across now to complete the Census.