Bilingual Election Monitor

Background

There's a growing body of research examining the media and social media consumption of Americans and how it relates to individuals' political behavior and preferences. However, much less is known about how Latinos — who represent approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population — use social media for political information and news. We are left without empirical insights into this population's online information environment, which could inform media, civil society groups, and policymakers aimed at safeguarding our elections.

Our Research Project

CSMaP's Bilingual Election Monitor seeks to bridge this gap. Through innovative data collection techniques that pair comprehensive, multi-platform digital trace data with national surveys in both English and Spanish, the Bilingual Election Monitor will provide a systematic view into the information Americans consume — both offline and on — and how their beliefs and behaviors change over time.

With this information, CSMaP scholars will produce peer-reviewed research and quantitative descriptive reports examining several key questions, including which communities are targeted most by disinformation and on what platforms, how these dynamics are shifting as the online ecosystem changes, and what impact disinformation has on voters’ beliefs and behaviors.