I discuss using Google search data to analyze politics. In particular, I suggest using Google search data on taboo subjects, where polls might give misleading information. I compare area-level Google searches for racial animus to area-level vote information to calculate the effects of race on Barack Obama. In addition, I use area-level Google searches for voting information to predict turnout in different parts of the United States. By comparing search information to Census data, I estimate turnout for different demographics in the upcoming election.
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About the speaker:
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| Seth Stephens-Davidowitz is a PhD candidate in economics at Harvard. His research uses Google search data to study taboo subjects, such as racism, drug dealing, and child abuse. He has published two pieces in The New York Times Sunday Review and appeared on NPR and MSNBC. He has a BA in philosophy (Phi Beta Kappa) from Stanford University. He has also worked at the Brookings Institution, Yale Law School, and the Columbia Journalism Review. He grew up in New Jersey, 10 minutes from the George Washington Bridge. |
Contact information:
Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
10 Akron St.
Apt 613
Cambridge, MA 02138
2015666411
sstephen@fas.harvard.edu