Rapid Research Reports
Twitter Use Dips After Elon Musk's Takeover, Largely Driven by Democrats' Departure
January 2023
Hong Qu, David Lazer, Samantha Cadenasso, Jon Green, Alexi Quintana, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, and Ata Uslu, Northeastern University; Roy Perlis, Matthew Baum,Alauna Safarpour, and Mauricio Santillana, Harvard University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; and Jonathan Schulman and James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science), Northwestern University
A national survey conducted before and after Musk’s takeover of Twitter shows that its use dipped from around 32% of Americans in October to 30% in December and January. The decrease was largely driven by Democrats who left the platform, with 38% reporting they used it before Musk bought Twitter but only 33% reporting that they used it after he bought it. Use by Republicans and Independents declined slightly after Musk became CEO, but not significantly.
Read the report here.
The Impact of SNAP Emergency Allotments on SNAP Benefits and Food Insufficiency
January 2023
Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach (IPR/SESP), Northwestern University
Since April 2020, states have been able to award Emergency Allotment, or EA, payments to SNAP recipients to supplement the formula-based SNAP benefits that they otherwise would have received. Nationwide, EA payments will be eliminated after the February 2023 payment, and SNAP benefits will revert for each family to the value that the SNAP benefit formula allocates. This rapid research report estimates the amount and impact of EA benefits. As described in more detail in the report, some states opted to terminate EA payments while they were still allowable. This variation provides an opportunity to estimate the impact of EA payments on the share of households reporting that they sometimes or often did not have enough to eat over the previous week. On average, EA payments reduce the likelihood that a household experiences food insufficiency by about 9%, with larger impacts for households with children with a Black or Hispanic respondent.
Read the report here.
Survey Looks at the State of the COVID-19 Pandemic at the End of 2022
December 2022
David Lazer, Samantha Cadenasso, Alexi Quintana, Ata Uslu, Jon Green, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, and Hong Qu, Northeastern University; Roy Perlis, Matthew Baum, Mauricio Santillana, and Alauna Safarpour, Harvard University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; and Jonathan Schulman and James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science), Northwestern University
A new report provides a snapshot of the state of the pandemic at the end of 2022, including case rates, vaccine and booster shot uptake, antiviral treatment usage, mask-wearing habits, and flu shot rates. It sheds light on the state of vaccinations and ongoing health risks at a time when the nation is experiencing a “tripledemic,” with flu, COVID-19, and the respiratory illness RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), circulating among Americans.
Read the report here.
Nearly 8 in 10 Americans Still Concerned About Russia's Invasion of Ukraine
December 2022
David Lazer, Samantha Cadenasso, Alexi Quintana, Ata Uslu, Jon Green, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, and Hong Qu, Northeastern University; Roy Perlis, Matthew Baum, Mauricio Santillana, and Alauna Safarpour, Harvard University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; and Jonathan Schulman and James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science), Northwestern University
As the war in Ukraine nears its one-year anniversary in February 2023, American news coverage of the conflict has dwindled. Despite the drop in media attention, the majority of Americans, or nearly 8 in 10, say that they are still very concerned or somewhat concerned about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a national survey. Concern over the invasion was high across all political parties, with Democrats showing a higher level of concern (86%) compared to Republicans (76%) and independents (75%).
Read the report here.
A Slight Majority of Americans Approve of the FBI’s Search of Mar-a-Lago
October 2022
David Lazer, Samantha Cadenasso, Alexi Quintana, Ata Uslu, Jon Green, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, and Hong Qu, Northeastern University; Matthew Baum, Roy Perlis, Mauricio Santillana, and Alauna Safarpour, Harvard University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; and Jonathan Schulman and James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science), Northwestern University
A survey finds that a slight majority of Americans (51%) approve of the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago, but there is a partisan gap between those who support and oppose it. From August 11 to September 13, 2022, the researchers conducted a national survey of 26,616 Americans, and most of those surveyed, or 81%, were aware that the raid had taken place. A large majority of Democrats (84%) supported or strongly supported the search, compared to 13% of Republicans. Among Republicans, 64% opposed or strongly opposed the search, versus 3% of Democrats.
Read the report here.
Governors’ Approval Ratings Hold Steady Before November Elections
September 2022
David Lazer, Alexi Quintana, Ata Uslu, Jon Green, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Samantha Cadenasso, and Hong Qu, Northeastern University; Matthew Baum, Roy Perlis, Mauricio Santillana, and Alauna Safarpour, Harvard University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; and James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science), Northwestern University
A national survey of more than 26,000 American voters from August 11 to September 13, 2022, finds that the September 2022 average for all 50 governors is 40% for their overall handling of their state’s affairs, with an average of 39% for their handling of the pandemic. This compares with an average of 42% for their overall performance and 47% for the pandemic in November 2021. Additionally, the researchers find a large “partisan approval gap” between Republican and Democratic incumbents, with Republican voters rating Republican governors lower than Democratic voters' ratings of Democratic governors.
Read the report here.
National Survey Investigates How Antivirals Are Used to Treat COVID-19
August 2022
David Lazer, Ata Uslu, Hong Qu, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Samantha Cadenasso, Jon Green, and Alexi Quintana, Northeastern University; Mauricio Santillana, Roy Perlis, Matthew Baum, and Alauna Safarpour, Harvard University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; and James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science), Northwestern University
A national survey reveals that only 11% of people infected with COVID-19 between May 2022 and early July were prescribed an antiviral therapy, suggesting Paxlovid is vastly underused despite being widely available. The researchers find adults 65 and over had a higher rate of taking antivirals at 20%. There are gender gaps in usage, with men taking antivirals more than women (13% of men versus 9% of women). People with higher incomes also reported taking antivirals more (16% of Americans earning $100,000 or more versus 7% of those earning less than $25,000). The researchers surveyed 24,414 Americans across all 50 states between June 8, 2022, and July 6, 2022.
Read the report here.
After Supreme Court Ruling Overturned Roe v. Wade, Support for Abortion Increased
July 2022
Kristin Lunz Trujillo, David Lazer, Samantha Cadenasso, Jon Green, Hong Qu, Ata Uslu, and Alexi Quintana, Northeastern University; Matthew Baum, Alauna Safarpour, Roy Perlis, Mauricio Santillana, and Anjuli Shere, Harvard University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science) and Caroline Pippert, Northwestern University
A national survey shows that Americans’ support for abortion increased overall after the Dobbs decision, and support is highest among individuals who say they are “very likely” to vote in November. The results highlight how the Dobbs decision could influence who shows up to vote in the midterm elections and who Americans would like to see control Congress. Between June 8 and July 6, researchers from Northwestern, Harvard, Rutgers, and Northeastern universities surveyed 24,141 participants about their support for abortion across nine different scenarios, such as when a pregnancy is caused by rape and once a fetal heartbeat is detected. They surveyed participants before and after the Dobbs decision was announced, with 16,265 responding before and 7,876 after.
Read the report here.
National Survey Examines Whether State Abortion Policies Represent Citizen Views
July 2022
Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Samantha Cadenasso, David Lazer, Jon Green, Hong Qu, Ata Uslu, and Alexi Quintana, Northeastern University; Alauna Safarpour, Roy Perlis, Mauricio Santillana, and Anjuli Shere, Harvard University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science) and Caroline Pippert, Northwestern University
A survey published by the COVID States Project indicates that a majority of Americans in most states support life-saving abortion care — and that states which have enacted laws banning abortion without an exception for rape are at odds with majorities of their own residents. But the poll also indicates that a smaller but still sizeable number of Americans continues to struggle with the issue, as indicated by an absence of responses to parts of the survey. Roughly around one-third of those surveyed did not voice their opinion in seven of the nine abortion scenarios asked about, with that figure dropping to one-quarter for cases of rape and cases where the mother’s life was in danger.
Read the report here.
Parents Cite News and Government as Top Sources for Child Vaccine Info
May 2022
Kristin Lunz Trujillo, David Lazer, Tamanna Urmi, Ata Uslu, Alexi Quintana, Hong Qu, and Jon Green, Northeastern University; Alauna Safarpour, Roy Perlis, Matthew Baum, Mauricio Santillana, and Anjuli Shere, Harvard University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; Caroline Pippert and James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science), Northwestern University
A national poll seeking to understand where parents get information about vaccinating their children against COVID-19 found parents of vaccinated children and parents of unvaccinated children divided over the best sources of information. When given an open-ended response question about where they got information to decide whether to vaccinate their kids against COVID-19, health care professionals were the most commonly cited source of information overall, followed by news, government and online/social media sources. The widest gap in sources of information were between parents of vaccinated and unvaccinated children, with parents of vaccinated children relying more on health care professionals than the latter.
Read the report here.
Update on Executive Approval of Management of the Pandemic
April 2022
Alexi Quintana, David Lazer, Tamanna Urmi, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Hong Qu, Ata Uslu, and Jon Green, Northeastern University; Matthew Baum, Roy Perlis, Mauricio Santillana, Alauna Safarpour, and Anjuli Shere, Harvard University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science) and Caroline Pippert, Northwestern University
From March 2, 2022 to April 4, 2022, the researchers surveyed 22,234 Americans about their approval of their governor's handling of the pandemic, as well as President Biden's management of it. The data show a downward trend for approval of all governors since the start of COVID-19. In particular, Republicans’ support of governors has decreased since April 2020. The researchers also find Americans’ approval of President Biden’s handling of the pandemic has generally been higher than President Trump’s, but Biden’s approval has been falling since the spring of 2021.
Read the report here.
Migration from Africa to France: New Findings on Fertility Change
February 2022
The Project on Collaborative Research: Migration and Fertility
A new report shows that African women who migrate to France have more children than French-born women—but not as many as women in their home countries. The migrant women’s use of contraception also comes to resemble that of French women more than the practices of women in the countries they left. In France, the setting of this report, questions around migrants and their integration into French society are central in the 2022 French presidential election. However, there is considerable misinformation about how migration affects key life outcomes. Led by IPR sociologist Julia Behrman and Abigail Weitzman of UT Austin, the Project on Collaborative Research: Migration and Fertility is investigating how women migrants’ reproductive lives are affected by their relocation.
Read the report here.
Beliefs in COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation Are Declining, But 16% of Americans Still Hold Vaccine Misperceptions
February 2022
Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; David Lazer, Hong Qu, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Ata Uslu, Alexi Quintana, and Jon Green, Northeastern University; Matthew Baum, Roy Perlis, Mauricio Santillana, Alauna Safarpour, and Anjuli Shere, Harvard University; James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science) and Caroline Pippert, Northwestern University
Conducted between December 22, 2021, and January 24, 2022, the researchers asked 18,782 Americans about popular vaccine misinformation claims, as well as their trust in science, media, and the government. The results show that misinformation beliefs are declining, but 16% of Americans still hold vaccine misperceptions. Additionally, about half (46%) of respondents are uncertain about the accuracy of at least one vaccine misinformation statement.
Read the report here.
Update on Parent-Reported COVID-19 Vaccination Rates
February 2022
Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Hong Qu, David Lazer, Ata Uslu, Alexi Quintana, and Jon Green, Northeastern University; Roy Perlis, Alauna Safarpour, Matthew A. Baum, and Mauricio Santillana, Harvard University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science), Caroline Pippert, and Jennifer Lin, Northwestern University
Between December 22, 2021, and January 24, 2022, the researchers surveyed 22,961 people across the U.S. The report shows parent-reported COVID-19 vaccination rates for kids ages 12 to 18 grew 3 percentage points from September 2021 (54%) to January 2022 (57%). Additionally, the vaccination rate for children ages 5 to 11 increased 9 percentage points from November 2021 (27%) to January 2022 (36%). However, it also reveals the surge of the Omicron variant over the holidays does not appear to increase the reported likelihood that parents would vaccinate their children. Instead, the survey shows the likelihood of vaccinating kids under 12 decreased between November 2021 and January 2022.
Read the report here.
Is Violent Protest Against the Government Ever Justified?
January 2022
Alauna Safarpour, Anjuli Shere, Matthew Baum, Roy Perlis, and Mauricio Santillana, Harvard University; David Lazer, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Ata Uslu, Alexi Quintana, Jon Green, and Hong Qu, Northeastern University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science), Caroline Pippert, and Jennifer Lin, Northwestern University
From December 22, 2021 to January 24, 2022, researchers surveyed 22,961 Americans about their views on the justifiability of violence against the government. The study reveals 23% of Americans believe engagement in violent protest against the government can ever be justified, with 10% saying it is justified now. Men, younger Americans, and liberals and conservatives who hold polarizing views of the other party are more likely than women, older Americans, and moderates to believe violent protest against the government is ever “definitely” or “probably” justified.
Read the report here.
Healthcare Workers Pinpoint Facebook as a Key Source of Vaccine Misinformation
January 2022
Matthew Baum, Roy Perlis, Mauricio Santillana, Alauna Safarpour, and Anjuli Shere, Harvard University; Kristin Lunz Trujillo, David Lazer, Ata Uslu, Alexi Quintana, Jon Green, and Hong Qu, Northeastern University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science), Caroline Pippert, and Jennifer Lin, Northwestern University
From November 3 to December 3, researchers surveyed 545 healthcare workers to understand the role they believe misinformation plays in patients’ healthcare decisions. A sizable majority say misinformation is a negative influence on patients’ decisions either to get vaccinated (72%) or to seek care (71%) once they fall ill with COVID. And one-third called such misinformation an “urgent” problem and the single most important factor influencing decisions to not get vaccinated.
Read the report here.
Up to 6% of Adult Cases Not Counted Due to Use of At-Home Test Kits
January 2022
Roy Perlis, Matthew Baum, Alauna Safarpour, and Mauricio Santillana, Harvard University; David Lazer, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Hong Qu, Ata Uslu, Alexi Quintana, Ata Uslu, and Jon Green, Northeastern University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science), Caroline Pippert, and Jennifer Lin, Northwestern University
In survey of nearly 11,000 respondents conducted between December 27, 2021, and January 15, 2022, researchers asked about COVID-19 testing and the use of at-home test kits. Of those surveyed, 63% report they had been tested for COVID-19 either in a testing facility or using an at-home test, 18% confirm they tested positive for COVID at least once, and 4% say they tested positive using a rapid antigen test at home. Of the 4% who tested positive with rapid at-home test kits, more than one-third disclosed they did not go in for a follow-up test at either their doctor’s office or a testing facility. The researchers estimate that around 6% of such cases are missing from official government counts, and that number could continue to grow as at-home testing increases.
Read the report here.
Most See N95 Masks as More Protective, But Only 1 in 5 Wears One
January 2022
Alauna Safarpour, Roy Perlis, Matthew Baum, Anjuli Shere, and Mauricio Santillana, Harvard University; Alexi Quintana, David Lazer, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Ata Uslu, Jon Green, and Hong Qu, Northeastern University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science), Jennifer Lin, and Caroline Pippert, Northwestern University
Data collected between December 22 and January 10 from a total of more than 17,000 Americans on mask use finds that two-thirds (66%) have correctly understood that N95 masks provide more protection than cloth masks, yet only 1 in 5 reports wearing one. The national survey finds more than one-quarter (26%) of the more than 2,000 surveyed on recommended masks remain unsure if N95s offer more protection than cloth masks. Overall, 64% of all respondents say they still wear cloth masks as well as gaiters, bandanas, and scarves. (Respondents could pick more than one type of mask.) Nine percent say they never wore a mask.
Read the report here.
One Year After Capitol Insurrection Americans Remain Divided in Their Feelings About It
January 2022
Matthew Baum, Roy Perlis, Mauricio Santillana, and Anjuli Shere, Harvard University; David Lazer, Jon Green, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Alexi Quintana, and Ata Uslu, Northeastern University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science)
One year after supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, a new survey finds that 52% of Americans overall feel sadness and anger, and 49% feel shame about what happened, with Democrats expressing these emotions more (65%–71%) than Republicans (34%–41%) and Independents (45%–46%). While the report by researchers from Northwestern, Harvard, Northeastern, and Rutgers shows overall support for the insurrection is low—with only 5 percent of all respondents saying they support it, opposition to it became more polarized in the intervening year. The February 2021 report showed a 15-percentage point gap between Republicans (74%) and Democrats (89%) who “strongly or somewhat opposed” the riot. But by January 2022, the new report finds this gap had grown to 26 percentage points due to falling Republican support, which had dropped to 63%, while support by Democrats held steady at 89%.
Read the report here.
The Majority of Americans Are Concerned with How American History Is Taught
January 2022
Alauna Safarpour, Matthew Baum, Roy Perlis, Mauricio Santillana, and Anjuli Shere, Harvard University; David Lazer, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Ata Uslu, Alexi Quintana, David Lazer, Jon Green, and Hong Qu, Northeastern University; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; Jennifer Lin, Caroline Pippert, and James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science), Northwestern University
Over the last few years, Critical Race Theory (CRT), an academic framework examining systemic racism within institutions, has made its way to the center of America’s culture war, as the country grapples with how to teach about the history of racism in schools. A new survey assessing attitudes about CRT shows that the majority of Americans, or 73%, across all demographics are concerned with how American history is taught in public schools. Roughly half of respondents (52%) expressed greater support for “teaching about how racism continues to impact American society today” compared to teaching CRT, which only 27% of those surveyed support.
Read the report here.
Over Half of All Parents Report Concerns About COVID-19 Vaccines for Their Kids
January 2022
Roy Perlis, Mauricio Santillana, Matthew Baum, Alauna Safarpour, and Anjuli Shere, Harvard University; Kristin Lunz Trujillo, David Lazer, Alexi Quintana, Ata Uslu, Jon Green, Hong Qu, and Matthew Simonson, Northeastern; Katherine Ognyanova, Rutgers University; Jennifer Lin, Caroline Pippert, and James Druckman (IPR/ Political Science), Northwestern University
Will parents vaccinate their kids as pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations rise across the United States? A new survey shows many parents continue to hold high levels of concern about the COVID-19 vaccine, and some concerns are more polarizing among parents. The report by researchers at Northwestern, Harvard, Rutgers, and Northeastern reveals over half of all parents surveyed in November continue to cite two major concerns about COVID-19 vaccines: 59% of parents report they are concerned about long-term side effects, and 57% state they are worried about whether the vaccine has been tested enough. The researchers find these two concerns have consistently been the top issues worrying parents across three waves of nationally representative survey data.
Read the report here.