Taiwanese Americans to be counted in next US census

At the next US census in 2010, Taiwanese Americans will - for the first time - be given the choice to distinguish themselves from Chinese Americans. This will enable the US government to know exactly how many people originated from Taiwan, as opposed to other countries in Asia, according to the World Journal, the most read Chinese-language newspaper in the United States.

David Choy, the Asian-Pacific Specialist at the US Census Bureau’s Seattle Regional Office said, that in the 2000 US Census 500,000 people classified themselves as “Taiwanese” and filled in the blank space on the census as such. The general statistics of the census will be formally published later this year and then submitted to each state and local government.

The census is mandated by the US Constitution and conducted every ten years. The results of the census are used to allocate congressional seats and electoral votes. More importantly, it is instrumental in determining how government funds are allocated, since the ethnic makeup of the US also determines how development funds are divided to ensure that the political will of each ethnic group is exercised.

The decennial census will start April 1, 2010. The Seattle regional office covers the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, and northern California. Choy said the ratio of Asian’s in the region’s population is growing and becoming more important. Asian immigrants are encouraged to take part in the coming census.