Seriously?

[yendi]

So, in the mail yesterday was a letter from the Census bureau informing me that I'd be getting a letter from them next week. This is every bit as annoying as the letters I got preceding the Bush Bribes. Just send me the form. Sending letters informing me that I'm going to get more letters is an insane waste of money.

Comments

[popfiend.livejournal.com]

Got mine last night and had the same thought.

[moment-of-me.livejournal.com]

I received my letter last night, too. Three weeks AFTER I received and returned the Census "long form". Talk about waste.

[yendi]

If only they could have had the letter state that you'd received the census three weeks ago. :-)

[rosefox]

I know a lot of people who really avoid looking at the mail and let it pile up (fear of bills, mostly). Two letters from the same place look more urgent than one.

[yendi]

I can see that, but I'm not sure I can see that being a big enough factor to justify the insane expenditures involved.

[rosefox]

Well, N people respond to a survey alone, P people won't respond just to a survey but do respond to a survey plus a letter, Q people won't respond to just a survey or to a survey plus a letter but do respond to a survey plus someone knocking on the door, and X people won't respond no matter what. However, sending someone to knock on a door is substantially more expensive than sending a letter. So if (N+P+Q+X)*lettercost+(Q+X)*doorknockercost is less than (P+Q+X)*doorknockercost and still results in N+P+Q survey responses, then it makes perfect sense.

[yendi]

*nod* But how does one quantify P? And can we be sure that a letter before a survey has the same effect as a survey followed by a letter?

[rosefox]

I expect they have data on this from previous censuses. (Censi?)

[crwilley.livejournal.com]

Besides notifying people to expect the form, it could also be one last-ditch attempt to weed out bad addresses - some of the mail is likely to "bounce", and they can have a heads-up that those addresses need special attention.

[yendi]

Wouldn't the census forms themselves bounce, too?

[ghost-light.livejournal.com]

They are sinking scary amounts of money into letting people know about this census.

[yendi]

Yup. Mind you, I do think the census is vital, and the areas that need it the most are the most underreported, but I don't see the mail blanket as something that will fix it.

[ghost-light.livejournal.com]

I agree. Are you being inundated with the Native American themed radio ads there? Just curious, I think they are playing at least 2 an hour here right now.

[ckd]

I'm leaving this comment to let you know that I'm going to leave a comment later.

[yendi]

I'm shocked it took this long into the comment thread for a comment like this to appear.

[rowancat.livejournal.com]

Damn, ckd above beat me to it...lol

[audacian.livejournal.com]

Thought this too.

[laurelian.livejournal.com]

I had this exact discussion with my mother yesterday after we both received our letters in the mail. It's insane to me that they would actually spend so much time, money, and effort just to inform us that we're getting yet another letter.

If they really had to kill all those trees and waste all those stamps, couldn't they have at least done it with a simple post card instead? Or perhaps paid someone who's recently been laid off to go door to door and inform people of the impending census?

Such an incredible waste.

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

Their official answer is at No. 34 here.

http://2010.census.gov/partners/pdf/ConstituentFAQ.pdf

It comes down to, "Because it works better."

PS: Yendi, what do you think of Sean's new CD?

[elizabear.livejournal.com]

Liam, I love you, but man - it's astonishing how you keep showing up in LJs of people I would never expect you to know!

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

Believe it or not, it's a geek connection. Cons, etc.

;)

Everyone in the world reads Shadesong, and when I met Yendi, I knew I had found a kindred soul. ;)

[yendi]

:-)

Liam roomed with us at Boskone a couple of years back, even.

[ex-bookkeep.livejournal.com]

The notion that someone in the Census Bureau has the numbers, time and available math-crunching to do that sort of cost-effect analysis makes me giggle. Like a kawaii catgirl.

My pick is Stimulus money for USPS.