Gaining cooperation from a multi-cultural society of respondents: A review of the U.S. Census Bureau's efforts to count the newly immigrated population

Abstract

The United States Census Bureau, in planning Census 2000, developed a network of community-based and national organizations (called Census Partners) that were tasked with helping to increase awareness, knowledge, and cooperation among their constituent populations. Historically, new immigrant groups, especially those from non-democratic societies, have been difficult to accurately enumerate using traditional methods and procedures. This paper discusses the preliminary results from a review of the partnerships established in five separate communities of new immigrants across the US, specifically, the Laotian community of Fresno, California; the Haitian community of Miami, Florida; the Bosnian community of Saint Louis, Missouri; the Iraqi community of Dearborn, Michigan; and the Somali community of Minneapolis, Minnesota. It provides information on the innovative initiatives implemented by the Census Partners in these communities; examines the effectiveness of the relationships that existed between the local Census Bureau officials and local partners; and reports on the extent to which these partnerships accomplished the Partnership Program goals. Recommendations for future research on effective strategies for gaining cooperation among diverse populations are also provided.