Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Philip N Cohen @philipncohen.com · 1d

Updating my projections: The last woman married in the USA will take place on Valentine's day in 2045.

Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · 5d

A rocket scientist was a key figure in developing China's One-Child policy. So demography is definitely not rocket science.

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · 6d

What if the excluded years just go back to 1200 baud?

Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · 6d

Gallup: in 2023 65% of Republicans said they drink alcohol – about the same as Democrats and independents. In 2025, that number has plunged a staggering 19 points to 46%. Democrats and independents also report drinking less, but each only by single digits. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Mocktails for Maga: why the US right is turning sober

Tucker Carlson says young people are more health-conscious than older generations. Does it explain why Republicans are drinking less?

www.theguardian.com

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · 9d

I worked on a project where we used LLMs to do sentiment coding on millions of Tweets.

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · 9d

And now for something completely different.

Cool Bike Art @coolbikeart1.bsky.social · 9d

The first episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus featured a bicycle race of modernist painters who were painting while riding

October 5, 1969

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Cool Bike Art @coolbikeart1.bsky.social · 9d

The first episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus featured a bicycle race of modernist painters who were painting while riding

October 5, 1969

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · 23d

As well as providing descriptive demographic trend data, the research team interviewed SMEs to identify & evaluate potential policy responses to mitigating impacts of the aging population: pro-natalist policies, immigration, the rural-urban divide, reliance on tech, and increasing retirement age.

Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · 23d

My new report acts as an intro to China's current demographic challenges (rapid population aging, low fertility) and their implications for China's national security (military, economy, innovation, population well-being, and the CCP's self-perpetuation).
www.rand.org/pubs/researc...

What Do China's Demographic Trends Mean for Its Future?

China has one of the world's lowest fertility rates and is experiencing one of the fastest transitions to an aged society. The impending reduction in labor force size and increase in old age dependenc...

www.rand.org

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · 23d

Well, boo to this. Coffee can contribute to high cholesterol. “Unfiltered coffee, such as espresso, is high in diterpenes ... which interfere with proteins that transport LDL [bad] cholesterol out of the bloodstream.” Sorry if this is also news to you. health.yahoo.com/wellness/nut...

Seven ways your coffee habit could be ruining your health, from digestion to cholesterol

Whether it’s a flat white or a double-shot espresso, many of us can’t start the day without caffeine. A morning cup perks us up after a bad night’s sleep, fuels our workdays and workouts, and powers o...

health.yahoo.com

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · 23d

My new report acts as an intro to China's current demographic challenges (rapid population aging, low fertility) and their implications for China's national security (military, economy, innovation, population well-being, and the CCP's self-perpetuation).
www.rand.org/pubs/researc...

What Do China's Demographic Trends Mean for Its Future?

China has one of the world's lowest fertility rates and is experiencing one of the fastest transitions to an aged society. The impending reduction in labor force size and increase in old age dependenc...

www.rand.org

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Danny Dougherty @dannydougherty.bsky.social · Sep 12

Writing an algorithm to identify cluster populations for desirability ratings. A k-pop demand hunter.

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Pallavi Banerjee @pallavib.bsky.social · Sep 10

JOB ALERT FOR #SOCIOLOGIST: Come work with me. We have FOUR Assistant Professor positions in the Sociology Department at the University of Calgary.

careers.ucalgary.ca/jobs/1672106...

Assistant Professors - Sociology, Faculty of Arts in Calgary, AB, ...

careers.ucalgary.ca

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · Sep 5

I'm a bit surprised that after looking at the original results, there wasn't a clear topic that people knew/didn't know overall, but ~30-40% were wrong at each question.

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · Sep 5

I got 11 out of 11, but the temperature graphs didn't show up for question 5.

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · Sep 5

X users look very different now, but it still speaks to the potential generalizability of nonprobability social media data when attention is paid to the characteristics of the nonprobability sample. Watch for it in Public Opinion Quarterly some time next year! 3/3

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · Sep 5

We show that a propensity score weighting procedure, using demographics, techno/psychographics, and political ideology reconciles differences between the samples for 25 of the 27 attitudes assessed. 2/3

A chart showing differences in political and policy attitudes between a national probability sample and a nonprobability sample of Twitter users, both before a propensity score weighting procedure (where there are significant differences on nearly all of the 27 measures between the two samples, but only 2 significant differences after the procedure).

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · Sep 5

Fun new publication alert! Back in 2022 we fielded the same survey about political and policy attitudes to a national probability sample, and a sample of users on Twitter. The Twitter sample was younger and more liberal across a wide range of attitudes, compared to the probability sample. 1/3

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · Sep 5

@genebaxter.bsky.social @alliemackay.bsky.social Dawson's Creek chat: when I was writing my comprehensive exams at Duke, the cast was shooting these S5 promo pics right outside the sociology building. We grad students all flocked to the window despite the timed exam. Michelle had to stand on a box.

The main cast of Dawson's Creek, Season 5, posing outside of the Sociology building at Duke University.

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · Sep 3

My equivalent: "Please see the attached file." [There is no attached file].

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · Sep 3

Relieved to report that a paper I submitted that has been under review for 18 months was just formally accepted. What's the longest review process at a single journal you've ever gone through?

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · Aug 27

It never occurred to me, but it did to County Auditor Vicky Dalton, that "...in a lot of states, anyone could get a copy of a marriage license. So how many Swifties will get a copy of the marriage certificate to hang on their walls?”

Kelcie Moseley-Morris @kelciemmorris.bsky.social · Aug 27

Perfect localization story by @alexdugganreports.bsky.social. No notes.

Spokane officials have no reason to comment on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's engagement, but we asked them anyway

The “Love Story” engagement between iconic pop star Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce may be out of Spokane officials’ wheelhouse, but it’s pretty clear that most of them are ...

www.spokesman.com

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · Aug 27

@genebaxter.bsky.social Relevant to your interests.

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Kelcie Moseley-Morris @kelciemmorris.bsky.social · Aug 27

Perfect localization story by @alexdugganreports.bsky.social. No notes.

Spokane officials have no reason to comment on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's engagement, but we asked them anyway

The “Love Story” engagement between iconic pop star Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce may be out of Spokane officials’ wheelhouse, but it’s pretty clear that most of them are ...

www.spokesman.com

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · Aug 26

It's also a great example of not taking summaries of studies online very seriously. It's 32 middle class families from LA. The article I link describes the sample as "WEIRD." I'm looking forward to counting the items on my fridge, located in LA, when I get home today. www.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/g...

The Way We Live: Drowning in Stuff (Published 2012)

www.nytimes.com

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · Aug 26

This is a wild ride of a read for all kinds of reasons. Researchers and people who read about research on the internet should all find some valuable stuff in here. The incidental note that THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF OBJECTS ON A TYPICAL FRIDGE IS 55 is just the icing on the cake for me.

Darby Saxbe @darbysaxbe.bsky.social · Aug 26

This week I wrote about how my research on stress, cortisol, and clutter got misinterpreted by the media and ended up in the AI slop factory. darbysaxbe.substack.com/p/cogsplaine...

I met my AI doppelganger and it got weird

How my clutter cortisol study took on a life of its own

darbysaxbe.substack.com

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Darby Saxbe @darbysaxbe.bsky.social · Aug 26

This week I wrote about how my research on stress, cortisol, and clutter got misinterpreted by the media and ended up in the AI slop factory. darbysaxbe.substack.com/p/cogsplaine...

I met my AI doppelganger and it got weird

How my clutter cortisol study took on a life of its own

darbysaxbe.substack.com

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Richard M. Carpiano, PhD, MPH @rmcarpiano.medsky.social · Aug 22

Reading this KFF report, I'm struck by how it shows the effects of RAND's "Truth Decay" framework in action:

Notably...
-increase in the relative volume & influence of opinion & experience vs. fact
-declining trust in formerly respected sources of factual info
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The Problem Isn’t Trust in Vaccines, It’s That People Don’t Know Who to Trust

In a new “Beyond the Data” column, KFF’s President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman analyzes years of KFF polling on vaccines in light of the current controversies about them. The real problem, he says, is not...

www.kff.org

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · Aug 18

Went to download a paper from the Population Action International website, but apparently they got hacked and it advertises Russian online casinos now. oof.

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · Aug 13

The figure falls below the previous record low of 55% in 1958 in the nearly nine decades of such tracking by Gallup.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

US alcohol consumption at a record low as health warnings grow, survey finds

A majority of Americans – 53% – for the first time view even moderate drinking as harmful, Gallup poll shows

www.theguardian.com

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Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · Aug 9

I tried to give these to Puss Puss, but she wasn't interested. Good luck! She loves Greenies like they are the tastiest treat she's ever had. Any time a bag opens in the kitchen, she runs in demanding some of her own bagged treats.

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