The 2020 Census Barriers, Attitudes, and Motivators Study (2020 CBAMS) is foundational research the Census Bureau conducted in support of the 2020 Census Integrated Partnership and Communications Program. Results from this study, consisting of a nationwide survey and series of focus groups, will drive the creative strategy and media planning including demographic specific messaging.

The 2020 CBAMS Survey, publicly called the 2020 Census Planning Survey, is a nationwide survey of 50,000 households that covers a range of topics related to census participation and completion. Results will allow the Census Bureau to understand and compare barriers, attitudes, and motivators across demographic subgroups such as Asian, Black, Hispanic, White, and, given sufficient sample size, additional groups like income and education levels. The survey period was February 20 through April 17, 2018; respondents were able to complete the survey in English or Spanish either online or by mailing back the questionnaire. The questionnaire and final survey results are available below.

Researching the Attitudes of Households Reporting Young Children ─ A Summary of Results from the 2020 Census Barriers, Attitudes, and Motivators Study (CBAMS) Survey

This report analyzes response data from the Census Bureau’s 2020 Census Barriers, Attitudes, and Motivators Study (CBAMS) survey. The 2020 CBAMS provides an opportunity for the Census Bureau to determine if the attitudes, barriers, and motivators for households who reported having young children differ in any important ways from those of households without young children. In this report, “young children” are defined as children age 5 and under. The responses from households reporting as having a young child are similar in many ways to those from households reporting no young children. This report includes detailed information on these similar responses and identifies areas of differences. A detailed look at the universe of households with young children found variation in survey responses by social, economic, and demographic characteristics. Responses varied when race and Hispanic origin, educational attainment, household income, and language were considered. This report highlights issues that may be important in informing an education and outreach campaign for households with young children and encourages consideration of respondent and household characteristics in planning for messaging to these households.

The focus groups component of the 2020 CBAMS will provide deeper and more specific insights than can be obtained through the survey, especially for hard-to-count populations. A particular emphasis of the focus groups is on areas that may be underrepresented in the survey, such as households in rural areas; young, single, mobile individuals; and no or low internet proficiency. Included hard-to-count racial and ethnic minorities include American Indian and Alaska Natives (AIAN), Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI), and Middle Eastern and North African (MENA). Historically, these groups all have among the lowest propensities to respond to the decennial census. Focus groups will ensure we have sufficient and actionable research to guide outreach to these groups. There were 42 total focus groups that took place in 14 locations across the county from March 14 through April 19, 2018. The report of final focus group findings is available below.