Data Labs Team

Data Labs uses data science methods to complement and expand on the Center’s research agenda. We generate original research by collecting data from a wide range of sources and analyzing it using computational techniques.

Some of our major publications have explored topics such as Americans’ use of social media; the content of #BlackLivesMatter tweets; what school districts across the country promote in their mission statements; popular accounts on “alternative” social media platforms; and the content of sermons delivered in churches across the country.

We also explore the tools and methods behind our work on the Center’s Decoded blog.

Signature Publications

data essay | Apr 4, 2023

School District Mission Statements Highlight a Partisan Divide Over Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in K-12 Education

Around a third of U.S. school districts mention the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in their mission statements. But these references are far more common in parts of the country won by Joe Biden in 2020 than in areas won by Donald Trump.

report | Jun 29, 2023

#BlackLivesMatter Turns 10

More than 44 million #BlackLivesMatter tweets from nearly 10 million distinct users currently exist on Twitter today. Over half of all existing tweets that include the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag were posted from May to September 2020.

report | Dec 16, 2019

The Digital Pulpit: A Nationwide Analysis of Online Sermons

This Pew Research Center analysis harnesses computational techniques to identify, collect and analyze the sermons that U.S. churches livestream or share on their websites each week.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND OUR WORK