The U.S. Census Bureau has faced declining public participation in surveys, exacerbated by distrust in government and privacy concerns stemming from the Trump administration's handling of data. Current and former employees report increased hesitance from the public to share information, attributing this to fears that their data may be misused or mishandled. This growing sentiment of distrust impacts the Bureau's ability to gather accurate statistics, as the field representatives express discomfort in their roles, reinforcing the importance of public trust in government data collection efforts.
Falling public participation in surveys and trust in government have plagued the U.S. Census Bureau for decades.
A current field representative says they don't 'feel as comfortable' in their role as they felt asking questions for surveys last year.
It's a system that runs on trust, and the trust, I would say, has been declining.
I fear for the data I'm collecting. Is it going to be misused?
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