One such program was the Full Count Review program, which was designed to rapidly examine, rectify if possible, and clear census data files and products for subsequent processing or public release. The Numbers and Kinds of Issues Identified During Full Count Review

Bureau data show that after reviewing census data for 39 states and Puerto Rico, FSCPE members identified a total of 1,402 issues, or about 29 percent of the 4,809 issues collectively flagged during Full Count Review (see table 1). Table 1 also shows that group quarters issues were those most frequently identified by the bureau, accounting for 1,599 of the 4,809 issues identified (33 percent). Group quarters issues relate to suspected discrepancies in the population counts and locations of prisons, dormitories, nursing homes, and similar group living arrangements. With housing unit issues, the count of occupied housing units differed from what analysts expected while household issues had population data for occupied residences that differed from what analysts expected. None were found. It will be important for the bureau to address these shortcomings as its preliminary plans call for a similar operation as part of the 2010 Census. Specifically, consideration should be given to (1) planning the Full Count Review program early in the census cycle and testing procedures under conditions as close to the actual census as possible, (2) integrating the Full Count Review program with other census organizational units and operations to ensure the bureau has sufficient time and field support to investigate issues, (3) developing clear guidelines on the minimum documentation needed for the bureau to investigate individual data issues, (4) categorizing issues on the basis of the quality and precision of the documentation, and investigating first those issues that are best documented and thus more easily resolved, and (5) exploring the feasibility of using staff from the bureau’s regional offices to help investigate data issues in the field prior to the release of public law data. GAO-02-4.
What GAO Found

To ensure the completeness and accuracy of the 2000 census data, Bureau of the Census analysts were to identify, investigate, and document suspected data discrepancies or issues to clear census data files and products for subsequent processing or public release. They were to determine whether and how to correct the data by weighing quality improvements against time and budget constraints. Because the bureau lacked sufficient staff to conduct a full count review on its own, it contracted out some of the work to members of the Federal-State Cooperative Program for Population Estimates (FSCPE). FSCPE documented 1,402 data issues, 29 percent of the 4,809 issues identified by both FSCPE and bureau analysts during the full count review. Of the 4,809 issues, 1,599 dealt with "group quarters," where counts for prisons, nursing homes, dormitories, and other group living facilities differed from what analysts expected. Of the 1,599 group quarters issues, FSCPE identified 567. Discrepancies relating to housing unit counts, population data, and demographic characteristics accounted for 1,150 issues, 375 of which were identified by FSCPE. Overall, of the 4,809 issues identified during review, 4,267 were not subjected to further investigation by the bureau because of insufficient documentation. Because the bureau's preliminary plans for the 2010 Census include a Full Count Review program, several areas warrant improvement. Foremost among these is the need for the bureau to investigate and resolve a larger number of issues before releasing the public law data.