Demographic comparison between self-response and personal visit interview in Census 2000

Abstract

During Census 2000, over 95 percent of the housing units were in mailback areas. In these areas either the United States Postal Service or Census Bureau staff delivered the census questionnaire. In urban and suburban areas of the country, the United States Postal Service delivered the census questionnaires between March 13 and 15 of 2000. The addresses in these areas are predominately city style; house number and street name. In more rural areas of the country with predominately non-city style addresses, Census Bureau staff delivered the questionnaire during March of 2000. Respondents completed their census questionnaires and returned them through the mail. Returns from these housing units are classified as self-response. Respondents which did not complete and return their census questionnaire by April 18, 2000 were interviewed during the nonresponse followup operation (personal visit interview). This paper will examine the demographic characteristics of persons enumerated on the mail return questionnaire (self-response) and the persons enumerated during the nonresponse followup operation (personal visit interview).