Sono Shah is a computational social scientist on Pew Research Center’s Data Labs team. He focuses on the application of computational social science methods to a variety of topics around the center, including race and ethnicity as well as political rhetoric. Shah is a contributing author of studies about how Democrats and Republicans behave on Twitter, how members of congress use social media platforms and others. Before joining the Center, Sono worked as a Center Associate at UC Riverside’s Center for Social Innovation and as a researcher at AAPI Data. He received his doctorate in Political Science from the University of California Riverside. His graduate work explored the role that race and ethnicity play in campaign contributions to congressional candidates. Sono’s academic work includes research on Asian American political attitudes and political behavior, the role of elite rhetoric on attitudes, and civic participation.
Sono Shah
Publications
How U.S. Lawmakers Have Discussed Asian Americans on Social Media
From 2016 through 2019, lawmaker mentions of Asian Americans on social media – either of the population at large or of smaller subgroups – followed a relatively predictable pattern.
Though not especially productive in passing bills, the 116th Congress set new marks for social media use
Voting members of the 116th Congress collectively produced more than 2.2 million tweets and Facebook posts in 2019 and 2020.
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.
Rising share of lawmakers – but few Republicans – are using the term Latinx on social media
One-quarter of United States lawmakers mentioned the term on Facebook or Twitter during the 116th Congress.
Posts mentioning ‘Black lives matter’ spiked on lawmakers’ social media accounts after George Floyd killing
236 members (45%) of the 116th Congress have mentioned “Black lives matter” on Facebook or Twitter dating back as far as Jan. 1, 2015.
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.
Tweets by members of Congress tell the story of an escalating COVID-19 crisis
More than half of all tweets sent by members of the U.S. Congress between March 11 and 21 were related to the coronavirus outbreak.
Democrats on Twitter more liberal, less focused on compromise than those not on the platform
A 56% majority of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents who use Twitter describe their political views as liberal or very liberal.
Facts on Hispanics of Venezuelan origin in the United States, 2017
An estimated 421,000 Hispanics of Venezuelan origin lived in the United States in 2017, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.
Facts on Hispanics of Salvadoran origin in the United States, 2017
An estimated 2.3 million Hispanics of Salvadoran origin resided in the United States in 2017, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.
