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Quantifying the Search Behaviour of Different Demographics Using Google Correlate

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  • Adrian Letchford
  • Tobias Preis
  • Helen Susannah Moat

Abstract

Vast records of our everyday interests and concerns are being generated by our frequent interactions with the Internet. Here, we investigate how the searches of Google users vary across U.S. states with different birth rates and infant mortality rates. We find that users in states with higher birth rates search for more information about pregnancy, while those in states with lower birth rates search for more information about cats. Similarly, we find that users in states with higher infant mortality rates search for more information about credit, loans and diseases. Our results provide evidence that Internet search data could offer new insight into the concerns of different demographics.

Suggested Citation

  • Adrian Letchford & Tobias Preis & Helen Susannah Moat, 2016. "Quantifying the Search Behaviour of Different Demographics Using Google Correlate," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(2), pages 1-11, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0149025
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149025
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    1. Duncan J. Watts, 2007. "A twenty-first century science," Nature, Nature, vol. 445(7127), pages 489-489, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jesse T. Richman & Ryan J. Roberts, 2023. "Assessing Spurious Correlations in Big Search Data," Forecasting, MDPI, vol. 5(1), pages 1-12, February.
    2. Federico Botta & Helen Susannah Moat & Tobias Preis, 2020. "Measuring the size of a crowd using Instagram," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 47(9), pages 1690-1703, November.

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