Michael S. Pollard

Interest in using nonprobability online samples continues to grow despite concerns about selection bias. Many methods exist for adjusting nonprobability data so it may yield generalizable inferences. Here we investigate whether a propensity score weighting method can balance differences between a probability sample and a nonprobability sample of Twitter (now X) users to evaluate the feasibility of using social media data for producing generalizable inferences on public opinion. We fielded identical surveys to 2,001 probability-sampled respondents (June 30–July 22, 2022) and 949 Twitter users (March 1–July 13, 2022); final analytic sample sizes were 1,972 and 822, respectively. The nonprobability sample differed significantly in demographic characteristics (younger, lower income, higher educational attainment), and broadly endorsed significantly more liberal attitudes toward a range of political and policy issues than the probability sample. We show that the propensity score weighting procedure, using demographics, techno/psychographics, and political ideology, reconciles differences between the samples for 25 of the 27 attitudes assessed. The results demonstrate the feasibility and utility of the propensity score weighting procedure to replicate a probability sample with nonprobability social media data and add to the literature on the use of nonprobability samples to draw population-level inferences.

Same-sex marriage became legal nationwide in the United States on June 26, 2015. Federal legalization of same sex marriage expands the pool of individuals potentially eligible for spousal benefits from Social Security to the estimated 4% of the population that is lesbian, gay, or bisexual. This chapter is a foundational step to better understand the potential impact of the expansion of marriage rights to same-sex couples on Social Security. We primarily use data from the 2011-2015 American Community Survey to describe the economic circumstances of heterosexual and same-sex households. We estimate the anticipated social security benefit amounts for these individuals, as well as eligibility to claim spousal benefits. We estimate the size of the gay and lesbian populations by age and sex from 2017-2040 using standard demographic methods. Finally, we supplement the analyses with new data from the RAND American Life Panel.

Researchers present a subset of results from May and October 2020 surveys fielded through the RAND American Life Panel to assess changes in levels of trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Non-Hispanic white and Hispanic respondents reported significant declines in trust, while the changes were not statistically significant for non-Hispanic black or respondents of other races.

The authors assess levels and within-person changes in psychological well-being (i.e., depressive symptoms and life satisfaction) from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic for individuals in the United States, in general and by socioeconomic status (SES). The data is from 2 surveys of 1,143 adults from RAND Corporation's nationally representative American Life Panel, the first administered between April-June, 2019 and the second during the initial peak of the pandemic in the United States in April, 2020. Depressive symptoms during the pandemic were higher than population norms before the pandemic. Depressive symptoms increased from before to during COVID-19 and life satisfaction decreased. Individuals with higher education experienced a greater increase in depressive symptoms and a greater decrease in life satisfaction from before to during COVID-19 in comparison to those with lower education. Supplemental analysis illustrates that income had a curvilinear relationship with changes in well-being, such that individuals at the highest levels of income experienced a greater decrease in life satisfaction from before to during COVID-19 than individuals with lower levels of income. We draw on conservation of resources theory and the theory of fundamental social causes to examine four key mechanisms (perceived financial resources, perceived control, interpersonal resources, and COVID-19-related knowledge/news consumption) underlying the relationship between SES and well-being during COVID-19. These resources explained changes in well-being for the sample as a whole but did not provide insight into why individuals of higher education experienced a greater decline in well-being from before to during COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

As stay-at-home orders began in some US states as a mitigation strategy for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission, Nielsen reported a 54% increase in national sales of alcohol for the week ending March 21, 2020, compared with 1 year before; online sales increased 262% from 2019.¹ Three weeks later, the World Health Organization warned that alcohol use during the pandemic may potentially exacerbate health concerns and risk-taking behaviors.² This study examines individual-level changes in alcohol use and consequences associated with alcohol use in US adults, as well as demographic disparities, from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This report examines how Americans view the United States Postal Service and explores its role as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The data were collected through the RAND American Life Panel as part of an ongoing analysis.

Changes in employment stability, family structure, and economic pressures have created challenges for the U.S. military reserve component. Modifying assumptions about Reserve duty can improve recruitment, performance, development, and retention.