I received my first census questionnaire, filled it in, and returned it within a few days. A week or so later another form arrived; I returned that with a letter saying I had already completed my questionnaire. Then a third one arrived, then a fourth, finally a fifth questionnaire. All were returned with a covering letter of explanation.
On Friday evening, July 6, at 8 p.m., a woman appeared at my door. She was appropriately identified as coming from the census, and considerably agitated because there were a number of other residents in this building who had not been counted and were, according to her, uncooperative!
I felt some sympathy for her and asked her in. We spent some time filling in yet another form. I explained that I had completed an original questionnaire and returned four others. She said, ”You didn`t show in the computer.”
I made a suggestion for the next census: Why not dump all the computers in the Chicago River and use teams of moderately intelligent people, fully trained so that they know the difference between a condo and a co-op, and rent from assessment?
I felt her visit was intrusive; she had little knowledge of either questions or answers, and her observations had no relevance to the
questionnaire.
