{"id":419752,"date":"2021-04-06T19:59:23","date_gmt":"2021-04-07T02:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcnews&p=419752"},"modified":"2021-11-01T10:20:55","modified_gmt":"2021-11-01T17:20:55","slug":"census-bureau-taps-location-intelligence-to-boost-response-rates","status":"publish","type":"arcnews","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/census-bureau-taps-location-intelligence-to-boost-response-rates","title":{"rendered":"Census Bureau Taps Location Intelligence To Boost Response Rates"},"author":6921,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10842,791,369792],"tags":[278722,320072,473772,472501,473632],"arcnews_issues":[472051],"class_list":["post-419752","arcnews","type-arcnews","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-data","category-digital-transformation","category-location-intelligence","tag-advertising","tag-census-data","tag-covid-19-pandemic","tag-lifestyle-segmentation","tag-us-census-bureau","arcnews_issues-spring-2021","arcnews_sections-your-work"],"acf":{"short_description":"The US Census Bureau increased its paid media investment and adapted with targeted appeals to nonresponders due to COVID-19.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The US Census Bureau faced unimaginable challenges with its 2020 population count, given the public health measures brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The typical household visits were curtailed for a time until infection spikes settled and accommodations were made. This situation caused the Census Bureau to increase its paid media investment and adapt with targeted appeals to nonresponders.\r\n\r\n\u201cIn the middle of this, we had to decide whether our enumerators should wear masks,\u201d said Nancy Bates, senior researcher for Survey Methodology at the US Census Bureau. \u201cWe conducted a survey asking, \u2018If an enumerator comes to your door wearing a mask, would you be more likely to respond, less likely, or wouldn\u2019t it make a difference?\u2019 We found that when combined, the majority said they would prefer a mask or it wouldn\u2019t make a difference.\u201d\r\n\r\nThis is indicative of the analytical approach the Census Bureau took to assess every task, set standards, and fine-tune processes to increase efficiency. For the first time, digital submissions were allowed via the internet and the Census Bureau used location intelligence<\/a> and lifestyle segmentation data to guide its outreach.\r\n

Combating Complacency<\/h2>\r\nThe US Constitution mandates a count of every person in every state and territory every 10 years. The results become a key metric for federal funds distribution. The data influences the makeup of election districts and describes the US population at every geographic level."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":419742,"image_position":"right","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Despite the importance of the data, the Census Bureau experiences low response rates from certain populations throughout the country, which can have a significant impact on government and commercial services people receive. The Census Bureau combats this complacency by placing ads tailored to local interests, which are determined by using location analytics. It\u2019s part of a quest that marketing professionals understand all too well: reaching an elusive audience.\r\n\r\nStarting in 2020, as part of its digital transformation, the Census Bureau studied how to improve its reach. Census Bureau staff conducted an advertising test in Savannah, Georgia, in 2015. They evaluated whether online forms improved response rates and assessed the best mix of ads and ad channels for targeting hard-to-reach residents. The results of the test were detailed in a research report, \u201cViewing Participation in the US Census through the Lens of Lifestyle Segments.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe primary focus was on gaining insight into the makeup, location, and behavior of hard-to-survey populations to improve response rates among those groups. To begin that analysis, bureau staff turned to a technique popularized by marketing executives\u2014lifestyle segmentation data powered by a GIS.\r\n

Segmenting the Audience<\/h2>\r\nFirst, Census Bureau officials used location intelligence to derive a low response score, a metric that guided further analysis of areas determined to be the hardest to count. Then those areas were mapped and overlaid with data of each area\u2019s lifestyle segments. Each segment within Esri\u2019s Tapestry Segmentation has distinct socioeconomic and demographic profiles that also reveal psychographic constructs, including participation in faith-based organizations and attitudes on arts and culture\u2014important variables when marketing to these groups. [Psychographics is the use of demographic characteristics to predict the attitudes and tastes of specific segments of a population to make marketing more effective and targeted.]\r\n\r\nOnce nonresponders were analyzed and correlated to lifestyle segmentation groups, Census Bureau staff could perform deeper analysis to find outreach opportunities, just as a corporate marketing team might.\r\n\r\nUsing the location intelligence generated by GIS, the Census Bureau correlated areas of historically low census response with the locations of various population segments to identify people who most needed outreach. Although the six population segments with the lowest participation rates covered a range of lifestyles and socioeconomic conditions, they shared some characteristics\u2014they were renters; single-person households; and people with high mobility, low education, low income, and limited fluency in English.\r\n