Frequently Asked Questions

No. Every question is optional. Skip anything you're not comfortable with. There is no penalty for leaving something blank.

Never. Your information is never shared with immigration agencies, police departments, or any government body. This is not a government form.

Yes. Ask us to remove your data at any time and we will do it, no questions asked.

The Dena Census is built and run by residents of the Dena community — not a government agency, not an outside organization.

No. Your contact information and your survey answers are stored in completely separate places, like two locked boxes that never open at the same time.

Only Dena Census organizers. Your name, phone number, or email are only used to reach you if you have consented to that. They are never published or included in any report.

The Dena Census methodology is designed to ensure our community's data is secure, valid, and credible. We:

1. Partner with community service organizations to collect community-wide Dena Census input.
2. Host a community governance group to set platform goals and define Impact Research Questions (along with any specific policies being tested) to be answered for the community.
3. Set plans in writing before analyzing results, including how indicators are defined and which public data we will use, and share them with an independent reviewer.
4. Conduct supplemental Dena Census surveys, and check for reliability.
5. Use Census Bureau numbers as our foundation and compare them with the Dena Census, as the plan dictates.
6. Have the independent reviewer check the results against the plan.
7. Transparently publish results, including any limits and anything inconclusive.
8. Repeat.

Your answers are combined with everyone else's and reported as numbers and percentages — never as a story about you individually. For example: "38% of residents over 65 reported mobility needs."

Reports go to community organizations and local leaders who can direct resources to the neighborhood. Your data is never sold.

If fewer than 10 people share a characteristic, that group is never reported separately. Small groups are folded in or left out to protect privacy.