---
title: "Census Bureau Tries Texting and More"
description: "This posting links to a Fact Tank article about a 2014 test census by the Census Bureau that will experiment with ideas for taking the 2020 Census."
date: "2014-02-18"
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/2014/02/18/census-bureau-tries-texting-and-more/"
---

# Census Bureau Tries Texting and More

The Census Bureau is taking a test census this year to experiment with ideas for the 2020 Census. It will try reaching people by text message, encouraging them to respond online and using "big data" to fill in details that census takers cannot obtain from questionnaires or door-to-door visits. [Read more at Fact Tank](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2014/02/18/in-an-historic-move-census-bureau-tries-electronic-outreach/).