Contending with the 80/20 rule when studying online behavior
The Pareto principle, or “80/20 rule,” holds that in many systems, a minority of cases produce the majority of outcomes.
A behind-the-scenes blog about research methods at Pew Research Center.
For our latest findings, visit pewresearch.org.
Data Science
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How quantitative methods can supplement a qualitative approach when working with focus groups
In a recent project involving focus groups, we tested out quantitative as well as qualitative research methods.
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Introducing Pew Research Center’s Python libraries
We’re excited to release a collection of Python tools that we’ve found ourselves returning to again and again.
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The challenges of using real-time epidemiological data in a public health crisis
Three widely cited coronavirus trackers differ in their methods and in the kinds of information they provide.
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Exploring the link between European political parties’ ideology and their popularity on Twitter
It can be hard to determine whether parties near the ends of the ideology scale are more popular on the platform than moderate parties.
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Interpreting and validating topic models
Understanding the exact meaning of a set of words requires an intimate understanding of how the words are used in your data and the meaning they’re likely intended to convey in context.
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How public and private Twitter users in the U.S. compare — and why it might matter for your research
Overall, our survey found that 13% of U.S. adult Twitter users keep their feeds private.
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Working with geography in survey data
Survey researchers frequently explore differences in public opinion by demographic group — how men’s views compare with those of women, for example, or how younger people compare with older people. Often, it’s also possible to look at differences by survey respondents’ geographic location. Yet, when geographic information is available in survey data, it’s not always […]
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Overcoming the limitations of topic models with a semi-supervised approach
In this post, I’ll show how to overcome some of challenges that arise with topic modeling with what’s known as a “semi-supervised” approach.
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Crowdsourcing a video coding project can be as effective as using trained research assistants
Measuring the content and meaning of videos is an important research goal for social scientists, but the tools for analyzing them at scale lag behind new advances.
