For the first time in the nation’s history, respondents to the decennial census will have the option to complete the survey online.
The U.S. Census Bureau is working with the Postal Service to use Informed Delivery to provide customers with an easy way to access the 2020 questionnaire through the internet.
Informed Delivery allows users to preview their incoming mail on smartphones, tablets and other devices.
Residents who use the free feature will be able to see images of their census questionnaire envelopes before they arrive in the mail. These customers will have the option to click on the response image and be taken to the 2020 census login site.
All 23.5 million Informed Delivery subscribers will receive the census email notification, making this the largest campaign in the feature’s history.
“Informed Delivery enhances the mail experience for our customers, and that includes the millions of households who will receive their census questionnaire in the mail,” said Chris Karpenko, the Postal Service’s brand marketing executive director. “Using Informed Delivery to complete the survey will be easy and convenient, helping the Census Bureau obtain critical data that is needed in communities across the nation.”
The Postal Service and the Census Bureau tested Informed Delivery’s ability to raise awareness of the census in 2018.
In March, USPS began delivering 590 million census mailpieces — one of the largest mailings in postal history.
Employees can register for Informed Delivery at informeddelivery.usps.com. Sign-up is voluntary and must be done off the clock.