imported post
The specific questions asked are to implement the purpose of counting everyone as called for in the Constitution.
Some people will be counted twice. They have more than one home. They were counted at college or in jail as well as at home, etc. By asking identifying questions, the bureau will be able to catch and eliminate folks who are counted twice. When folks refuse to provide answers, they thwart the constitutional process.
I fully understand why folks don't want to give this information. They fear that this information will be used for purposes other than counting the population, that the information will be shared with others, even other government or law enforcement agencies.
By law, the detailed information is protected for 72 years. Only statistical summaries can be released prior to that time. The Census Bureau has the finest record in the world of protecting confidential information. We cherish this record and put forth every effort to protect it.
In any event, the laws that some deem unconstitutional have been held constitutional by the courts. While our approach is not to force answers using the law as a stick, but to cajole answers using reason as a carrot, your answers are required by law. If you refuse to answer the questions, you are acting unlawfully.