[paudio]

The ACS is planned to substitute the long form of Census. The questions are basically the same. Before, in every census, they have the long and short forms. The short form contains the usual questions (age, sex, relation to head, ethnicity). The long form has many more questions, including info about your house. Because census is only every 10 yrs, they drop the long form and do the ACS every year instead. Supposedly, with some sampling method, the number of residents would be comparable to that of the long form.

I believe it is compulsory to answer the census (at least the short form, as the head count is part constitutional mandate), but am not sure about survey.

[what's up]

It is mandatory to fill out the ACS survey according to Title 13. But as I said earlier, I haven't found any record of the Bureau following through to fine anyone despite the threat(s) on the literature.

They try to keep this low-key, I believe, because if people generally found out what kind of answers were being demanded by the Federal Gov't there would be an outcry.

Comments above are correct that this ACS survey has taken the place of the long form they tried in 2000. It is a sneakier way of getting the same information.

They're still after us but I'm hoping we're nearing the end of our trial.