Patrick van Kessel is a senior data scientist at Pew Research Center, specializing in computational social science research and methodology. He is the author of studies that have used natural language processing and machine learning to measure negative political discourse and news sharing behavior by members of Congress on social media, and is involved in the ongoing development of best practices for the application of data science methods across the Center. Van Kessel received his master’s degree in social science from the University of Chicago, where he focused on open-ended survey research and text analytics. He holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining Pew Research Center, he worked at NORC at the University of Chicago as a data scientist and technical advisor on a variety of research projects related to health, criminal justice and education.
Patrick van Kessel
Expertise:
Twitter: pvankessel
Publications
How lawmakers’ social media activity changed in the days after the U.S. Capitol riot
Social media activity by members of Congress changed in notable ways following the rioting at the Capitol by supporters of President Trump.
Both Republicans and Democrats cite masks as a negative effect of COVID-19, but for very different reasons
When asked to describe how the COVID-19 outbreak has affected them negatively, Democrats and Republicans are divided on the subject of masks.
Many Americans Get News on YouTube, Where News Organizations and Independent Producers Thrive Side by Side
Videos from independent news producers are more likely to cover subjects negatively and discuss conspiracy theories.
Congress Soars to New Heights on Social Media
Democratic lawmakers post more content on Twitter, while the median Republican member now averages more audience engagement than the median Democrat across platforms.
What is machine learning, and how does it work?
What is machine learning, and how does it work?
Our latest Methods 101 video explains the basics of machine learning and how it allows our researchers to analyze data on a large scale.
How Americans feel about the satisfactions and stresses of modern life
Most Americans are at least somewhat happy with their lives, but some have grappled with issues like loneliness and work-life balance.
10 facts about Americans and YouTube
Using public opinion surveys and large-scale data analysis, we have studied the content on YouTube and how the U.S. public engages with it.
APSA 2019 roundup: Research on political socialization, campaign spending and misinformation
Researchers are learning more about early political socialization. Emerging techniques to fight misinformation are seeing some success.
A Week in the Life of Popular YouTube Channels
