Pew Research Center’s Data Labs uses computational methods to complement and expand on the Center’s existing research agenda. The team collects text, network, and behavioral datasets, uses innovative computational techniques and empirical strategies for analysis, and generates original research. Data Labs also explores the limitations of these data and methods, and works toward establishing standards for use and analysis. Learn more about Data Labs here. The Data Labs team also contributes to the Center’s Decoded blog, which examines the “how” behind our numbers – including lessons learned in computational social sciences.
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.
Q&A: Why we studied American sermons and how we did it
Dennis Quinn, computational social scientist, explains how our analysis of sermons came together and the challenges that arise when religion meets big data.
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.
A small group of prolific users account for a majority of political tweets sent by U.S. adults
These users make up just 6% of all U.S. adults with public accounts, but they account for 73% of tweets from adults that mention politics.
National Politics on Twitter: Small Share of U.S. Adults Produce Majority of Tweets
The findings of this analysis paint a nuanced picture of just how prevalent political speech is among U.S. adults on Twitter.
The challenges of using machine learning to identify gender in images
This essay on the lessons we learned about deep learning systems and gender recognition is one part of a three-part examination of issues relating to machine vision technology.
How does a computer 'see' gender?
10 facts about Americans and Twitter
Around one-in-five U.S. adults say they use Twitter. Users tend to be younger and to have more education and higher incomes than adults overall.
A Week in the Life of Popular YouTube Channels
About one-in-five adult Twitter users in the U.S. follow Trump
Republican and Republican-leaning adult Twitter users are more likely than Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents to follow Trump.
