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2020 Census Digital Action Guide Social Media, Video, and Partner Resources

Make #2020Census and #Censo2020 trend on social!

Introduction: This is a quick reference guide of key messaging and resources to elevate content about the 2020 Census on social media.

Key Facts About the Census

The Basics

  • The census counts every person living in the United States, regardless of age or citizenship status, every 10 years in years ending in 0.
  • It’s in the Constitution.

It's Important

  • It’s about money, power, and data.
  • Every 10 years we help decide how taxpayer dollars come back to our communities. The 2020 Census will help to distribute billions of dollars in federal resources to your community.
  • Our community gets resources based on census population counts, that help pay for hospitals, emergency services, schools, roads, and more.
  • An accurate and complete census helps businesses, community leaders and elected officials make informed decisions every day.

It's Easy

  • For the first time, people can respond online and by phone, in addition to the mail-in option. Your response impacts funding for your community for critical services for the next 10 years.
  • The next decennial census happens in 2030.

It's Safe and Confidential

  • Your data is protected and it’s confidential. Federal law protects your responses, which cannot be shared with law enforcement, immigration agencies, or housing authorities.

COVID-19 & the 2020 Census

Social Media

Share information on your social media channels about the census and why it's important to respond. Everyone can play a role in ensuring that everyone is counted once, only once, and in the right place.

Take the Pledge

You can inspire others. Take the pledge and tell everyone - your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers- to complete the census, and that they should respond now, too!

Post the pledge web badges on social channels to show your support in responding to the census.

Digital Activation Badges

Challenge Your Peers

Tag your friends and challenge them to complete the census as well. Customize your post​ (English​ or ​Spanish​).

  • Instagram Stories: Post the pledge or challenge badge to your IG story and tag the friends you are challenging, then post a second slate with the blank pledge so friend can easily share the graphic from there!
  • Sample Copy: DYK the #2020Census informs hundreds of billions in funding for things like education and health programs that communities need? I pledge to complete the 2020 Census and I am challenging [@ your friends!] to do the same.

General Social Media Collateral & Messaging

Download graphics, memes, videos, photos… have fun!

➔ Tag @USCensusBureau in your posts. We are on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

➔ Use the official campaign hashtags: #2020Census and #ShapeYourFuture

➔ Link to 2020Census.gov so your followers can learn more and complete the census online

Here are sample posts to get you started

In our country, everyone counts—no matter who you are, what you do, how you worship, or whom you love. I’m proud to support the @USCensusBureau and the #2020Census. Respond to the census now at 2020Census.gov. #shapeyourfuture
Why do I support the #2020Census ? The census informs where federal funds go every year for things like our healthcare workers, EMTs and firefighters. Go to 2020Census.gov now to respond! #shapeyourfuture
The #2020Census counts everyone who lives in the United States. No matter who you are, we all count! Go to 2020Census.gov now to be counted. @USCensusBureau. #shapeyourfuture
There’s still time to shape the future for your community. You can complete the #2020Census now online, by phone, or by mail. Visit 2020Census.gov.
No matter where you call home, the #2020Census is your chance to shape the future of your community. Complete the census today! 2020Census.gov
Complete the #2020Census to help shape the next 10 years for health care and infrastructure. There’s still time to respond! Visit 2020Census.gov
The #2020Census helps direct billions of dollars of funding for things that your community needs, including roads. Complete the census today. Visit 2020Census.gov
Help the schools in our communities when their doors reopen and for the next 10 years by responding to the #2020Census now. You can answer online, by phone, or by mail. Visit 2020Census.gov
The #2020Census informs funding for the services that keep your community safe and prepared. Complete the census today! 2020Census.gov
Your answers to the #2020Census are safe, secure, and used only to produce statistics. Learn more at 2020Census.gov .

Create Your Own Content

  • Go to CreativesForTheCount.org, check out the gallery, download content, and post!
  • Over 500+ pieces of content have been created through Census Accelerate, an initiative of the U.S. Census Bureau to encourage user-generated, open-sourced content available for anyone to use.
  • Create your own content and post your graphics, memes, video, photos, and more. Post on social media and upload to the Creatives For The Count gallery.

Make a Video

Create and post a video or PSA (Public Service Announcement) by using the sample video scripts below. Check out Census Bureau resources: Library of PSA’s / PSA Toolkit and head over to our YouTube channel to get inspired!

10 Second Scripts

When you respond to the 2020 Census you help ensure that your community receives the funding for healthcare that it deserves. Respond today at 2020Census.gov.
In our country, everyone counts—no matter who you are, how you worship, or whom you love. The 2020 Census is how this great American promise is kept. Respond today at 2020Census.gov.
Even while social distancing, please take a moment to respond to the census. You can do it online, by phone, or by mail. Respond today at 2020Census.gov.

15 Second Scripts

Spend a few minutes online today to impact the next 10 years of funding on healthcare, infrastructure, and education. We all see how important these are today. So please go to 2020Census.gov and respond today to make America’s tomorrow brighter.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of census data and responding to the 2020 Census. Respond today at 2020Census.gov and make sure your family, friends, and neighbors do too! It's safe, easy, and important.
It's time to respond to the 2020 Census. Your community needs your help. It's essential that everyone gets counted, including young children. Your responses are safe and confidential. Respond today at 2020Census.gov.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of Census data and responding to the 2020 Census. Together with data from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, census data also allows scientists and healthcare experts to model the potential impact of an emerging health threat. Respond today at 2020Census.gov.

30 Second Scripts

The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of responding to the 2020 Census and the importance of census data. That’s because your response helps shape decisions about how billions of dollars in federal funds flow into communities each year for the next 10 years for critical services. Like health care clinics. And hospitals. And emergency services like EMTs and fire departments. Emergency situations like COVID-19 illustrate just how important it is to respond to the census. So please do today at 2020Census.gov.
Getting an accurate count of everyone who lives in the United States is so important. Especially right now! The census helps inform how billions of dollars in federal funds are spent every year for services that are critical to all of us, including hospitals, health clinics and emergency response like EMTs and fire departments. Today we all see how important these services are. So, please respond at 2020Census.gov as soon as you can.
There will be parties again soon, and family gatherings. There will be parades and sporting events and concerts. To help our communities when they come back together after the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m asking you to please respond to the 2020 Census now. Spend a few minutes online today to impact the next 10 years of funding on healthcare, infrastructure, and education. We all see how important these are today. So please go to 2020Census.gov and respond today to make America’s tomorrow brighter.

Response Rate Challenge

Are you curious about how many people in your community are responding to the 2020 Census? Check out how your community is doing and challenge everyone to increase response rates for your state, city or county. ( Response Rate Map / Rankings Dashboard )

While you keep tabs on local response rates, challenge others on social media to respond and check out the Response Rate Challenge Toolkit!

Download Toolkit

Responding to the 2020 Census

Paper Questionnaire: Sample 2020 Census Questionnaire (Paper Form) Respondent Guide

Online Questionnaire - Internet Self Response: my2020census.gov, Video Guide for completing the census online

Invitation Letter: Sample copy of the Census letter inviting households to respond

National Campaigns of Census Partners

Take a look at social media toolkits and other content from partners’ national campaigns:

2020 Census Language Guides

The 2020census.gov informational website and language guides are available in 59 languages other than English.

The online questionnaire itself (my2020census.gov) is available in 13 languages (Arabic, Chinese [Simplified], English, French, Haitian Creole, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese).

  • Video Language Guides - “How-to” walkthrough videos that help respondents completethe 2020 Census online.
  • Print Language Guides - These help respondents complete the 2020 Census paper form.Also available in braille and large print.
  • Language Glossaries - Translations of commonly used terms for the 2020 Census.
  • Language Templates - Template versions of the guides and glossaries are available for communities to create materials in additional languages beyond the 59 supported non-English languages.

Official Census Bureau Campaign

2020 Campaign Slogan & Messaging

“Shape Your Future. START HERE.” is the foundation for all advertising and communications about the 2020 Census. This tagline highlights that people can shape their future by responding to the 2020 Census. The campaign reinforces that message by explaining how their future and their community’s future are impacted by the 2020 Census.

Message Testing & Research Studies

2020 Census Barriers Attitudes and Motivators Study (CBAMS)

Audience Segmentation

2020 Census audience segments are groups of census tracts with similar predicted self-response behavior and similar demographic variables associated with self-response. These audience segments were determined by the U.S. Census Bureau for their distinctive patterns of media consumption and distribution of census mindsets. The eight 2020 Census audience segments in the U.S. range from highly likely to respond to the census to unlikely to respond.

Hard-to-Count (HTC) populations

The Census Bureau recognizes a range of socio-demographic and other groups as hard-to-count. The following communities are at risk of being undercounted in the 2020 census. These individuals are considered hard-to-locate; hard-to-contact; hard-to-persuade; and/or hard-to-interview. #2020Census #ShapeYourFuture 15

  • African American and Black
  • American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN)
  • Asian America, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander
  • Hispanic / Latinx
  • Middle Eastern and North African (MENA)
  • LGBTQ+
  • Children 0-5
  • Complex households/ multi-family households
  • Low English proficiency/ ESL
  • Low internet proficiency
  • Digitally disconnected communities
  • Immigrants
  • Rural populations
  • Young and mobile/ Millennials/ Gen Z
  • University/ College Students
  • Renters

Materials, Factsheets and Other Resources

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