It's exceptionally important. It's almost like a bloodline for us. Most households will receive the short form, with basic questions such as age, sex and race. One in six households will get a longer form that asks more extensive questions about occupation, income, property value and utility costs. Workers also will go door to door at military barracks, dorms and nursing homes.
Public libraries are among the recruiting stations.
Training even includes how to deal with unruly dogs, said Amanda Allison, assistant manager for field operations for the Honolulu census office. Census takers are required to track down people who don't respond to mailed surveys. Hawaii census workers expect that to make up a third of Hawaii's 456,000 households. It saves the government money if they just send in their form. The Honolulu Advertiser, a division of Gannett Co .