UNC-Chapel Hill expert available to discuss 2020 Census
By the end of June, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the proposed addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census form. Rebecca Tippett, the director of Carolina Demography at the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is available as an expert source on the topic, and for any other Census stories that need expert commentary from a demographer.
If you’d like to speak with Rebecca, call 919-445-8555 or email mediarelations@unc.edu.
Tippett is a noted expert on Census reapportionment and redistricting. She can discuss how Census data is used, who gets counted, what the citizenship question is, and why it matters. She can also discuss implications for redistricting, considerations around using untested new technologies in obtaining Census data, and other anticipated challenges for the 2020 Census due to broad declines in survey participation and rising costs. Carolina Demography recently partnered with the NC Counts Coalition to create an interactive mapping tool specific to North Carolina which identifies the state’s hard to count communities.
Quote from Rebecca Tippett: “When we talk about the importance of the Census, we often talk about power and money. We use the Census counts to distribute political power and allocate funding for everything from highway spending to programs like Medicare and Head Start. But the Census is more than just that. It is the backbone of virtually every data product that researchers, governments and businesses use to understand who we are, how we’ve changed, and what this might mean for the future. It’s also the most democratic and inclusive activity we do as a country. This once-a-decade count is the only source of basic demographic data on all individuals living in the United States.”
A sample Q&A with Tippett can be found at https://expertfile.com/spotlight/6648/what-could-a-citizenship-question-mean-for-the-2020-census-.
Let us know if you’d like to arrange an interview with Tippett as you plan for coverage of the Supreme Court’s decision on adding a citizenship question or any other Census stories in the coming months.
P: 919-445-8555 | E: mediarelations@unc.edu
