The US Department of Commerce and the Census Bureau is calling on all US residents to participate in the 2020 Census.

Every decade, the federal government completes a census nationwide to get a snapshot of the country’s population as well as the makeup of those populations, from ages and races to how many people own their home.

US Census Bureau as put together public service announcements to encourage people to participate. The US Constitution mandates that a census of the population be conducted every decade.

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“Census statistics are used to determine the number of seats each state holds in the US House of Representatives and how billions of dollars in federal funds are distributed annually for critical public services like hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and emergency response,”officials say.

The national 2020 Census PSAs were released to include information covering

various outreach initiatives such as “Statistics in Schools” and “The Undercount of Young

Children” as well as general explainers on topics like “What Is the Census” and “How to Take the

Census.”

The PSAs are one piece of the Census Bureau’s integrated communications campaign. This campaign includes advertising in 12 non-English languages, partner materials in multiple languages, “Statistics in Schools” activities and outreach to hard-to-count communities. In an effort to reach as many people as possible and ensure a complete and accurate count, the Census Bureau sought input, advice and research from diverse audiences, communities and stakeholders in producing the messages.

By April 1, every home will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census. There will be three options for responding:

Online.

By phone.

By mail.

The 2020 Census marks the first time there is the option to respond online.