Having done some genealogy research, I appreciate census reports. For years and years the Census Bureau conducted surveys every ten years to determine the demographics of the United States. For the most part these were non-specific questions. The Census Bureau now conducts surveys every two years. The 2008 questionnaire is quite long and the questions are very specific. It asks for information on utility bills, vehicles driven, mortgage amount, income, disabilities, level of military service disability, recent absence from work, and the questions go on and on (Link).
The most surprising, at least to me, is that the Census Bureau has hired Draftfcb of New York for “an estimated” $200 million to help reach a larger audience for the 2010 census (Link). What larger audience is the Census Bureau seeking? This is absolutely unsatisfactory. And who is Draftfcb? Well, I looked them up. Draftfcb is a marketing company. They do advertising for Kmart, Yum Brands, Nabisco, Dow Chemical Company, Honda, Kraft, Toyota, Lego Group, and now the federal government (Link).
It is an Orwellian tactic to conduct these in-depth surveys. The information collected by the Census Bureau should be non-specific. In the 2008 questionnaire, most of the questions are simply none of its business.
The most surprising, at least to me, is that the Census Bureau has hired Draftfcb of New York for “an estimated” $200 million to help reach a larger audience for the 2010 census (Link). What larger audience is the Census Bureau seeking? This is absolutely unsatisfactory. And who is Draftfcb? Well, I looked them up. Draftfcb is a marketing company. They do advertising for Kmart, Yum Brands, Nabisco, Dow Chemical Company, Honda, Kraft, Toyota, Lego Group, and now the federal government (Link).
It is an Orwellian tactic to conduct these in-depth surveys. The information collected by the Census Bureau should be non-specific. In the 2008 questionnaire, most of the questions are simply none of its business.
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