Four topics are universally associated with higher levels of life satisfaction: a person’s good health, romantic partner, friends and career.
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.
We asked thousands of Americans where they find meaning in life. Their responses were rich, thoughtful and varied, and we have selected 100 to share with you in no particular order.
Family is the most common source of meaning in America, but economic, religious and political divides shape where people find meaning in other aspects of life.
An analysis of Youtube videos suggested by the site's recommendation engine finds that users are directed toward progressively longer and more popular content
For the average moderate legislator, about 54% of a member’s Facebook posts discussed local issues between 2015 and 2017. But for the average very liberal or very conservative legislator, just 38% of posts dealt with local issues.
The U.S. congressional Facebook audience used the “angry” button in response to lawmakers’ posts nearly 14 million times following the 2016 election.
Democratic legislators’ opposition to political adversaries on Facebook spiked after Trump’s election, while "angry" reactions to posts by members of Congress increased among followers.
On Twitter, suspected bots are far more active in sharing links to news sites focusing on nonpolitical content than to sites with a political focus.
Read key findings and watch a video about our new study on how bot accounts affect the mix of content on Twitter.
An estimated two-thirds of tweeted links to popular websites are posted by automated Twitter accounts – not human beings.
