Counting the city: mayoral views on the 2020 Census
Files
2020 Menino Survey: Census Brief
Date
2020-09-22
DOI
Authors
Palmer, Maxwell
Einstein, Katherine Levine
Glick, David
Version
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
As the 2020 Census concludes at the end of September, a large majority of the mayors of America’s major cities are extremely concerned that their cities’ populations will be undercounted. According to Boston University’s 2020 Menino Survey of Mayors – the only national representative survey of American mayors – 82% of local leaders are “very” or “somewhat concerned” about undercounting their cities’ populations; only 6% of mayors were “not concerned at all.” While there is a small partisan difference in level of concern (19% of Republican mayors are “not concerned at all” compared to 4% of Democratic mayors), nearly two-thirds of Republican mayors are somewhat or very concerned that their populations will be undercounted.
Description
The 2020 Menino Survey of Mayors represents the seventh nationally representative survey of American mayors and is based on interviews with 130 sitting mayors from 38 states. The 2020 Survey explores mayoral views on COVID-19 recovery, policing and protests, parks and greenspace, and the 2020 Census. The first set of findings, released in September 2020, details mayors’ fears of census undercounts and what actions their cities are taking to increase participation. Additional findings will be released as separate reports in the coming months.
License
CC0 1.0 Universal