Improve your census participation with It’sMyTown, the official mobile app for local governments
The US Government has been conducting a population census every ten years since the constitution was ratified, but 2020 might be the most difficult one yet. Citizens are simply harder to reach and engage than they’ve ever been. That creates huge challenges for civic engagement, made even more difficult by social media privacy concerns and changing tastes that mean the ‘traditional’ channels like Facebook and Twitter are not being adopted by the next generation. But no matter their age, when it comes to finding information people without those accounts usually have a choice of a website or nothing.
It’sMyTown can increase your census participation levels by helping you connect with your community where they already are – on their phones, while also removing one of the biggest challenges in social media today – user registration. It’sMyTown can help you:
Close the digital divide:
Computers simply don’t enjoy the same popularity as smartphones. More often than not, citizens rely on their phones to access online information and services (like ~82% of Americans already do). With It’sMyTown, you can directly send residents the information they need to complete their surveys on their phone and remove the technological barriers that lower participation. And because It’sMyTown doesn’t require registration, there are no privacy concerns.
Provide context around participation:
By communicating how participation helps your community, citizens have more reasons to engage. Knowing responding can help your area receive more congressional representation, funding for after -school programs, or a new community center can go a long way towards giving residents a reason for participating. It’sMyTown can personalize their participation and give them not only a reason for responding, but an understanding of how it helps them personally.
Create a sense of community:
A lot of residents simply don’t feel committed to completing the survey. They might be apartment dwellers, or part of a community that fears participation might have repercussions. It’sMyTown helps create a sense of community by communicating what your community has to offer. A sense of belonging goes a long way towards wanting to maximize community resources.
It’sMyTown helps local governments proactively engage with their residents to help increase Census participation. With timely notifications, stories that showcase value, or even highlighting an event like a census rally, you can ensure you are doing everything you can to reach your communities.
