---
title: "Census Response: Role of Replacement Questionnaires"
description: "The 2010 Census mail participation rate of 72% has matched the 2000 Census rate, and Census Bureau officials have released data indicating that sending replacement questionnaires to low-responding areas may have played a role. "
date: "2010-04-29"
authors:
  - name: "D’Vera Cohn"
    job_title: "Former Senior Writer/Editor"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/dvera-cohn/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2010/04/29/census-response-role-of-replacement-questionnaires/"
---

# Census Response: Role of Replacement Questionnaires

The 2010 Census mail participation rate of 72% [has matched the 2000 Census rate](http://www.census.gov/2010census/news/releases/operations/the-numbers-are-in.html), and Census Bureau officials have released data indicating that sending replacement questionnaires to low-responding areas may have played a role. Census officials also credit aggressive outreach and advertising for boosting mail response.

According to the third page of [this handout from yesterday's news briefing](http://www.census.gov/2010census/news/pdf/Handouts.pdf), households in areas that received a single mailing returned their questionnaires at a slightly lower rate than in 2000. Areas that received replacement questionnaires, either in a targeted or blanket mailing, had mail participation rates slightly higher than in 2000. Replacement questionnaires were not sent out in the 2000 Census.

Census-takers begin knocking on doors this weekend to obtain information from households for which a questionnaire was not received.