As of Tuesday, January 12, the Ho-Chunk Census has received 1,194 completed online surveys, or about 21 percent of the total number of registered members.
There are still 4,500 surveys yet to be taken.
“Overall, everyone needs to fill out the Census. It’s needed for the Nation to determine the needs in areas of social, economic, health and overall welfare,” said Census Project Assistance Specialist Pine Giroux. “The Nation consistently needs the data to help with services, but without the Census the executive departments are not able to pinpoint the extent of those gaps and where the largest needs lie.”
In the next weeks, a concerted effort will be made to remind tribal members about the Census.
“We’re making a big push to get as many online surveys completed as possible,” said Kevin Klingbeil of Big Water Consulting, Seattle. “The online survey is the most efficient way of completing the Census.”
Although the online survey will still be available, the next step would be to send out paper forms, which costs money to print and mail. After that, people would call individuals and then Census takers would go to the homes. All of those methods would be much more costly because they involve materials and labor.
“Filling out the form online is the best thing for everyone. The quality of the data improves and it is much easier than the paper form. The program automatically skips to the right portion of the survey depending on your answers instead of having to read the instructions on the paper form,” Klingbeil said.
Of the surveys completed so far, surprisingly, most have been from District 5 residents, Klingbeil said. There will be a big push in Districts 3 and 4 to get residents to complete the surveys.
“We’re trying to give the online effort a little more time,” he said. “The challenge is to get 40 to 50 percent of the surveys completed online before we start mailing out the paper forms.”
There are people who would like to complete the online surveys but don’t have access to a computer with Internet. They can go online by visiting any of the computers available for public use, such as those at the Executive Building, the Tribal Aging Units or the Community Centers. If that is not possible, the paper surveys will be mailed to the tribal members who have not completed the survey.
Help is available for people are having problems completing the Census survey.
“Some people have called in, saying they want to resume the survey, having been interrupted, or have lost their token,” Klingbeil said.
Drawings for prizes have been conducted for those people completing the online survey. Another drawing will be made for people filling out the paper form.
“The hope is that we can tackle the mass majority of them online and with the paper form. After that, the costs go way up, with having to complete telephone calls and go to the homes of the people. There is a lot of labor costs involved with that,” he said.
Klingbeil is hoping that tribal officials will make contact and spread the word at meetings and gatherings about the Census, and to encourage them to complete the surveys. The results of the Census will benefit everyone, he said.
“It’s not just about writing grants, it’s about the legislators being able to allocate funds. It should be used on needs identified through the Census,” Giroux said.
The need is very real and will make a huge impact on the Nation’s future, she said.
“Help us help you. Please participate and complete your Census online, on paper, or in person, and encourage your relatives to identify our Nations true needs,” Giroux said.
Here are the Census drawing winners:
December 26th
Amanda F. iPad Air 2
Danielle M. Xbox
Katie F. PS4
Lavinia C. $100 gift card
Andrea H. $100 gift card
Richard B.. $100 gift card
January 2nd
Lillian W. Toshiba Laptop
Morgan W. Samsung TV
Athena L. $100 Walmart gift card
Phyllis B. $100 Amazon gift card
Edward L. $100 Target gift card
Alvin A. $100 Target gift card