Through research in 20 counties in Georgia and South Carolina, the Census Bureau can identify strategies that increase online participation and the percentage of residents who complete the survey without a follow-up visit from a census worker.

“The information we get from each census is critical to laying the foundation for how a community plans its economic development, chooses its legislators and decides its priorities when it comes to public services,” said Lisa Blumerman, the Census Bureau’s associate director for decennial census programs. “The Census Bureau is putting into place cutting-edge technology to make it more convenient for residents to respond to surveys.”

The test census opening on March 23 follows a one-month registration period called Notify Me, during which residents were encouraged to sign up to receive an email or text message when it came time to complete the test. The test census will run through May 31.

“The census is the foundation for every aspect of our civic life,” said Thurmond Neill Tillman, a census partnership specialist in Savannah. “The Savannah area has a unique opportunity to be among the first communities to help test online self-response and digital outreach. The results of this test will help the Census Bureau make decisions that could result in substantial costs savings in 2020.”

Residents of the following 20 counties in the Savannah area are involved in the test census:
- Georgia — Appling, Bacon, Bryan, Bulloch, Candler, Chatham, Effingham, Evans, Jeff Davis, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Montgomery, Screven, Tattnall, Toombs and Wayne.
- South Carolina — Beaufort, Hampton and Jasper.