The goals of the 2010 Census Road Tour are simple: to raise awareness that the census is coming, and to clarify that the information collected is confidential. Not to mention the fact that returning the mailed form might actually save some taxpayer dollars.

The 2010 Census Road Tour made a stop at the Grand Generation Center in Grand Island on Monday. They were specifically targeting a group that doesn't always get counted accurately: the elderly.

Todd Wiltgen, a Partnership Specialist from the Denver Regional Census Center, says that much like the immigrant community, the elderly worry about what the information they give might be used for.

"We're raising awareness to reinforce the message that it's safe, that the information they provide is confidential, and that it is also important," said Wiltgen. "Representation in government is determined by it as well as federal funding for programs like senior programs."

There are different reasons why people don't answer the census. Wiltgen said for some immigrant populations it's because of the way the census may have been taken and the information used in their native countries.

"In some other countries the census is actually ran by the military for other purposes, so there is some fear out there for new immigrants, especially from Sub-Sahara Africa, who believe it may be used for military purposes," he said.

Wiltgen says the Census Bureau wants to stress to everyone that the information they give is only used to produce statistics. Title 13 of the U.S. Code protects census information as confidential. No government agency or court can use the information from the census for any purpose.

Wiltgen said about 150 people stopped by their traveling display on Monday just to get more information. He said some elderly patrons were even counting how many times they've been a part of the census. He said they all seemed excited about being a part of another one.

"They're very familiar and very eager to be counted because they understand that it's important to Grand Island and to Nebraska to be counted," Wiltgen said.

The forms should start appearing in mailboxes next week. For the 2010 Census only a short form is being used, so there are only 10 questions to answer. Wiltgen says it should take about 10 minutes to fill out and mail back. He says it's easy and could also save taxpayer money.

"Nationwide it costs $90 million for every 1% of the population that does not return their census questionnaire. So we're spending $133 million on an integrated communication campaign. Hopefully it will increase response rates more than 2%. If it does, it will save taxpayers money."

According to Wiltgen the 1980 Census had the lowest response rate because there was no advertising done that year.

In 2000 there was a 72% response rate across the U.S. Wiltgen said Nebraska's initial response rate was a little better at 78%. The other 22% no-response households were covered by census takers, but Wiltgen said the door-to-door answers they receive aren't as reliable because people tend to be less truthful to a person than to a form.

For more on the 2010 Census from Todd Wiltgen, click on the video link above.