PRESS RELEASE

They will present the Virtual Forum on Statistics and Technology

The activity is free of cost

Fulfilling its mission to lead in the use of technology as a work tool and service in the development of better statistics, the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics will hold the Virtual Forum on Statistics and Technology on Friday, May 7, 2021 from 8:30 in the morning to 12:30 in the afternoon. The activity is free of charge, but it requires that participants register, from now on, through the following link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8947053084746770957

The event will include two educational sessions. The first session will present the following topics: Statistics and technology to understand population characteristics; Technology: An essential tool for economic statistics, as well as the interconnectivity of systems to improve government statistics. In the second intervention, the topics will be the following: Tools for visualizing statistics and indicators and The Future Now: “Big Data”.

As reported, the forum is aimed at statisticians, economists, professionals in the field of technology, students of business administration, public health, demographers, in short, anyone with an interest in statistical and technological issues. In the same way, we urge students from public and private schools at the higher level (High School) to register and benefit from this extraordinary educational opportunity. Participants will receive a certificate through their emails.

“This forum allows us to continue educating about how technology is an ally and an essential tool for the development of better quality statistics and effective data visualizations. Spaces like this give us the opportunity to interact with different representatives of academic and governmental sectors, private companies, non-profit organizations, as well as with the research community on how, through technology, we can provide the statistical data that is so essential in decision-making to promote economic and social development in Puerto Rico,” explained Dr. Orville M. Disdier, executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity tasked with coordinating the government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and accessible quickly and universally.

For more information you can visit the website: https://estadisticas.pr.gov/. In addition, you can follow the Institute on social networks, through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

###

Contact:

Idia M. Martinez, R-28

787-603-3200

‍

PRESS RELEASE

Office of the President

Vital for the country that mayors mobilize to obtain

Responses to the 2020 Census

President of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Statistics made an urgent appeal to municipal officials given the low participation of only 25% of the response

The president of the Board of Directors of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, economist and university professor Nicolás Muñoz-Muñoz, urged all mayors to mobilize the resources of municipal agencies to visit street by street, combing all communities to alert families to the importance of filling out the 2020 Population Census form. I am taking all preventive and protective measures as far as COVID-19 is concerned.

As of July 13, only 25% of families had answered the Census. This, according to Muñoz, represents half of those who had answered the Census in 2010. In mid-July, the level of response in municipalities ranged from 14 to 31 percent. “It is vital for municipalities and their inhabitants that the federal funds that arrive are not reduced by 25% or more. Without downplaying the exercise of the democratic right to vote, designating resources to help citizens complete the Census should be considered as meritorious as the efforts being made for the primary and electoral process,” Muñoz said.

“If mobilization were not promoted to encouraging communities to dedicate 15 minutes to answering the form, we would add another disaster to the chain of events that have occurred in the country since the earthquake in January to the present. In this case, a disaster whose consequences would last 10 years,” said Muñoz.

The economist explained that, if 25% of the population does not answer, Puerto Rico could result in a population of less than 3 million and could receive 25% less federal funding, equivalent to $5 billion annually or $50 billion over 10 years, if we consider an average current allocation of $20 billion annually. This is without considering additional special allocations in the case of natural disasters.

It was also reported that more than 300 federal programs base the distribution of funds on population data. These programs include federal funding for road construction, agriculture, rural development, housing, urban development, solid waste management, telecommunications infrastructure, drinking water, protection of coastal resources, assistance for paying household rent, education, justice, nutrition assistance programs, school breakfasts, child care, workforce development under the WIOA Act (among other laws), assistance for the elderly and health, including Medicaid, and other programs.

“The economic situation of municipalities will worsen if access to federal funds allocated by Congress is reduced. Every Puerto Rican who can read and write can fill out the Census form. It can be filled out “online” or on paper. Each neighbor can help another neighbor who can't read and write or how to fill it out, particularly older adults. It's everyone's job, but mayors, who are the officials closest to the needs of citizens, must exercise their leadership in this vital priority for Puerto Rico,” Muñoz concluded.

##

Press Contact:

Idia M. Martínez

787-603-3200

imartinez@upfrontpr.net

‍

Federal Committee on Labor Statistics appointed Executive Director of the Institute