Hipsters Fill Out Census At Record Low Rate In New York

"Census participation" is beginning to sound more like a band that New York City hipsters would listen to than an action they would take part in.

The latest numbers show that the hipster-haven neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn ranks last place in 2010 census participation, with only about 31 percent of residents returning their forms.

(Reports showed that New York City as a whole has a 45 percent participation rate.)

A recent NPR segment, attempted explain why the "biggest census procrastinators in New York City happen to live in the most self-consciously hip neighborhood."

Nate Stark, a Williamsburg record store clerk, told NPR why he's not participating.

"I guess it's laziness and like, what's the point? When it comes down to it, nobody wants to fill out like another form that's just like getting sent to your house that really relatively has nothing to do with your life," Stark said in the interview.

Though Williamsburg residents seemed to have difficulty putting their finger on exactly what is was about the census that made it so unappealing, Stark did say that a cash prize might change people's minds.

"I mean people would do [it] if they got like five bucks," Stark said.

Comments

[untocaesar]

09:04 AM on 04/19/2010

cool is starting to looks really boring.

[blue state nightmare]

07:53 AM on 04/18/2010

Maybe they don't want their "fair share" of other people's money?

[lmkousaie]

12:53 AM on 04/14/2010

How do they know what percentage of people are filling them out if they don't know how many people there are?

[GabeSmall]

03:37 PM on 04/17/2010

You can make fairly accurate estimates by sampling. But the census requires an actual head count.

[astimpso]

04:32 PM on 04/13/2010

Love this:

"I guess it's laziness and like, what's the point? When it comes down to it, nobody wants to fill out like another form that's just like getting sent to your house that really relatively has nothing to do with your life."

[LLNYRN]

12:29 PM on 04/13/2010

They're too busy living off of Mommy's and Daddy's money to care.
Or prefer to get something immediately in return.
Because that's what they're spoiled behinds are used to.

[TheJibreelaMonsters]

09:32 PM on 04/12/2010

just put a free Metro Card and PBR/ American Apparel coupon in those envelopes then they will fill it out

[waledc]

08:09 PM on 04/12/2010

This people are TONE DEAF.....If you don't fill out the census, then your district won't get their fair share of Government aids.

[Bitsko]

07:43 PM on 04/12/2010

Hipsters? More like self-absorbed trust fund babies.

[BrotherOrchid]

06:08 AM on 04/13/2010

I see that you have been watching 90210. . . . . . .


trust fund babies?. . . . . .get a clue.

[moutonnoir]

05:36 PM on 04/12/2010

Sad.. 'Hipsters' have a self image of being socially aware.. Organic foods, high rate of veganism..

Yet they do not have any knowledge of elections, distracting, distribution of tax $ for special needs in specific neighborhoods, etc.

Then, they probably are just glad for a official letter they can ignore without their nearly impossible to pay back school loans defaulting.

[thebirdstheword]

03:27 PM on 04/12/2010

this is either an onion-style joke that huffpo has mis-filed, or my already non-existent respect for anyone lame enough to call themselves a "hipster" has dropped even more.

[END WAR NOW]

03:05 PM on 04/12/2010

It's not just the NY Hipsters who are not filing the census, it is anyone who doesn't want to take part in the government snoop program who is not partaking in the census. this census for to me seem like another way to draw the racial boundaries, divide and conquer. i mean it even has a check box for black people to call themselves negroes, how bad is that? all the government wants to do is label you and know where you are. i say kudos to the hipsters and anyone with the smarts and the cajones to just say no.

[GrantedBKNY]

03:18 PM on 04/12/2010

Hahahhahahaahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahah

[hacksto]

03:37 PM on 04/12/2010

Hoot!

[END WAR NOW]

03:43 PM on 04/12/2010

Laugh all you want - keep thinking this government is your friend - as they continue to take more money from you in all forms of taxes, both visible and hidden, as in inflation. While the education system keeps dumbing you down, seems to be working already - and while they get the population so dependent on the State that the only options will be welfare, a State job or the military, so they can keep sending Americans over to the Middle East to KILL & Be Killed in a WAR that ONLY benefits the Elite Oligarchs who control your lives.

[Josh Seipp]

04:05 PM on 04/12/2010

If you're going to drop out of American society perhaps you should think about moving as well? I'm not being snide, for what it's worth.

[BrotherOrchid]

06:04 AM on 04/13/2010

tell that to the tea party crowd. . . .I'm not being snide, for what it's worth.

[blue state nightmare]

07:56 AM on 04/18/2010

I thought you lefties believed in the freedom to "tune out" - or is that over now that one of your guys is in charge?

Besides, if someone did want to drop out of society, there is no better one than this one. 11+ million illegal aliens are happily flying under the radar here - name another country where that can happen.

[progressivestance84]

03:02 PM on 04/12/2010

Is this story real? Because if it is I am about to be seriously ill!

[Paradise in half]

02:39 PM on 04/12/2010

This reads like an onion article.

[chuckleatlibs]

02:30 PM on 04/12/2010

Please define a "self consciously hip neighborhood". I'm at a loss to what that could possible mean.

[BigCheese]

03:34 PM on 04/12/2010

Somewhere you don't want to live.

[DappledSunlight]

05:20 PM on 04/12/2010

You don't know that. The only people who don't understand what "self consciously hip" means are either living in a media wilderness, or... the self-conssciously hip themselves.

[DappledSunlight]

05:21 PM on 04/12/2010

It's sort of like how a fish doesn't know what the ocean is.

[SpinDizzy]

02:16 PM on 04/12/2010

Dig it. Like five bucks, cash, baby. Lay it on me, and I'll do your thing. What do you mean it's everybody's thing? Get outta here.

[END WAR NOW]

03:48 PM on 04/12/2010

Yea, on top of all the money they are wasting advertising the census, printing census paper, and hiring census workers - now they will spend even more money (more of our tax money that is) giving everyone $5, like that will really help everybody out during the economic crisis of our lifetime.

Simple minded people - so easily distracted while they spend Billions upon Billions of TAX money killing people around the world in WARS, both Americans and Middle Eastern people - But the benevolent government is here to help you and they are going to help everyone with this census form.

Wow. I guess the Prussian school system the United WAR States government uses to Indoctrinate obedient little government serfs with is actually working.

[westcountyPA]

06:20 PM on 04/12/2010

What is your problem, END WAR NOW? "Prussian school system", "obedient little government serfs"...?
What are you so angry about?
The census happens every 10 years in this country, the United States of America....PERIOD.

[GabeSmall]

03:44 PM on 04/17/2010

The census is a Constitutional requirement. It's one of the few things that the federal gov't has a Constitutional obligation to spend money on.

[sacbeme]

06:57 PM on 04/16/2010

So are you gonna give me 5 bucks or what?