So many questions surround the census in the age of Coronavirus.Will your information be protected? What happens if you don't do it and what happens to cities like Knoxville with a university?

"The coronavirus is absolutely going to affect accuracy and response rates," said University of Tennessee geographer Dr. Nicholas Nagle."I expect that I am going to spend a decade trying to figure out: 'what the holes in the 2020 census?"

Nagle studies changing trends in America's nearly 330 million people.

Dr. Nagle says before the coronavirus pandemic you would 'normally' get a phone call, or hear a knock on your door, if you don't mail in or take the online survey.

"There is a penalty for not filling out the census form," Nagle said.

The penalty is a $100 fine. Nagle said it's rarely enforced. With coronavirus likely causing a drop in responses, that could have big repercussions in Big Orange country.

"College students are supposed to fill out the census form at the place where they live, which would be Knoxville," Nagle said.

The doctor said the pandemic is probably going to have a negative affect on Knoxville.

"You only get one crack at it every ten years," Knoxville census liaison Rick Emmett said.

Rick Emmett works for the City of Knoxville as the downtown development coordinator, but, for the last year, he's been carefully checking on 2020's census.

The city wants accurate information and a 'true count' because a low count means fewer dollars coming in from the federal government and grants. They've inserted mail flyers, hoisted billboards, and even teamed up with the group Centro Hispano to get the word out.

"I would say the police department, the fire department, also the engineering department, is impacted by this," Emmett said. "So it's a huge deal. We really need to get this right."

The Census Bureau still randomly mails out it's much longer survey, even in 2020. This form is still mandatory but is much more detailed, and asks questions about income and family disabilities. If that rarer form appears in your mail, look for the title "American Community Survey" to be sure it's legitimate.

The professor knows many people may be reluctant to reveal personal information on the census, due to privacy concern, but he said the 2020 version is 'iron-clad safe' and that people shouldn't worry.

Copyright 2020 WVLT News. All rights reserved..