The Census Needs an 11th Question

The U.S. Census form asks 10 questions, and with this limited size, we’re missing out on collecting tons of valuable information. At Freelancers Union, we wish the government would ask: “Are you an independent worker (self-employed, part-time, or temporary)?” Right now, Washington isn’t counting us, and if you can’t count us, you can’t help or protect us with services and policies. And boy do we need that—our just-released survey report shows that today’s social safety net is badly failing the freelance workforce. As a part of their “10 Questions that Count” series, WNYC has been asking listeners, “What’s your 11th question?” to see what they’d ask if they could add just one more question to the census. Help the overlooked freelancer community get noticed by adding the independent-worker question here.