Conrad Hackett
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conradhackett.bsky.social
Conrad Hackett
@conradhackett.bsky.social
28K followers 3.6K following 1.6K posts
Demography nerd at Pew Research Center
Global religious change, sociology
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
socarxiv.bsky.social
The number of people who will respond to "Ask me for a copy" is a tiny fraction of those who would love to click on a non-paywalled link. Don't make people ask. SocArXiv is free to share, free to read, non-profit, academy-owned at a public university. Hello! Thanks for sharing.
scientificdiscovery.dev Saloni @scientificdiscovery.dev · Sep 29
It's great some authors will share their work if you email them for a pdf.

But this isn't a good use of your time, or theirs.

I do think academics have more important things to do than a system where they reply one by one to every potential reader who wants to read beyond the abstract.
September 29, 2025 at 11:32 PM
conradhackett.bsky.social
"AI Chatbots often cheer users on, give them overly flattering feedback and adjust responses to echo their views, sometimes at the expense of accuracy." 🧪
AI chatbots are sycophants — researchers say it’s harming science
Nature asked researchers who use artificial intelligence how its propensity for people-pleasing affects their work — and what they are doing to mitigate it.
www.nature.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:32 AM
conradhackett.bsky.social
I missed a heated debate at the recent @sssreligion.bsky.social conference about Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi's latest book.

Benny contends that New Religious Movement scholars have, in some cases, been willing to excuse illegal/unethical actions taken by groups they study.
Academic Advocacy for New Religious Movements
This book examines the meanings of advocacy for academic practice by studying one historical advocacy movement.
link.springer.com
November 9, 2025 at 11:43 PM
conradhackett.bsky.social
Scholars - if you're publishing articles behind a paywall, why not make your work accessible to everyone by also publishing a preprint version?
November 9, 2025 at 10:14 PM
conradhackett.bsky.social
3% of US adults say they have had cosmetic plastic surgery.
Who’s had plastic surgery or taken other measures to look younger?
About this research This Pew Research Center report looks at how Americans are thinking about aging and how things are going for adults ages 65 and older.
www.pewresearch.org
November 6, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
kirstenlesage.bsky.social
Check out our new @pewresearch.org report that finds that people in middle-income countries say climate change is affecting their community, and that majorities in these countries are willing to alter the way they live and work to reduce effects of climate change 👇

pewrsr.ch/4oksDHb
People in Middle-Income Countries Say Climate Change Is Affecting Their Community
Large majorities in nine middle-income countries say global climate change is affecting their community. About half or more in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico see a great deal of impact.
pewrsr.ch
November 5, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
rebeccasear.bsky.social
This graph never fails to be shocking: "The US has experienced the earliest and greatest slowdown in life expectancy improvements among higher-income countries, reported Eileen Crimmins. “We have horrible life expectancy—and it’s getting worse and worse”"

www.prb.org/resources/se...
Graph showing life expectancy trends in 23 higher income countries between 1980 and 2024. Life expectancy increased over time in all countries. In 1980, the US is in the middle of the pack, but their life expectancy gains were slower than that of other countries, and by around 2002, the US had the lowest life expectancy of all countries. Over the next 20 years, US life expectancy increasingly tracks away from the trajectories of other countries, as their life expectancy stalls while other countries life expectancy continues to climb
October 31, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
johngramlich.bsky.social
NEW from @pewresearch.org: Two-thirds of Democrats say their own party makes them feel frustrated. By far the biggest source of this frustration is the feeling that their party isn't pushing back hard enough against the Trump administration. www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...
Line chart showing the percentage of Democrats and Republicans in the United States who say their own party makes them feel frustrated, angry, hopeful and proud, as well as how these percentages have changed in each party since 2019. The chart is based on Pew Research Center surveys of U.S. adults. Bar chart showing the most common reasons Democrats cite for feeling frustrated with their party. The chart is based on a September 2025 Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults.
October 30, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
conradhackett.bsky.social
A secular transition is happening in countries around the world. Detailed explanation🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41....
Many Muslim-majority countries, Hindu-majority India in early stage. Countries with large Buddhist & Christian populations in later stages.
Blog: www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Religion generally declines between generations in three steps: People participate in worship services less often. The importance of religion declines in their personal lives. Belonging to religion becomes less common. They call this the Participation-Importance-Belonging (P-I-B) sequence. In this sequence, generations first shed aspects of religion that require more time and resources. People are slower to shed religious identity, which is not necessarily as burdensome. In the early stage of secular transition, generations differ primarily in their religious participation. In some countries that remain highly religious today, recent surveys show that each country’s share of adults under age 40 who frequently attend religious services has dropped below the share of older adults who do so. Many African countries are currently in this early stage. For example, in Senegal, 78% of older adults attend worship services weekly, but younger adults are 14 percentage points less likely to do so. Yet almost all adults in Senegal – both young and old – still identify as Muslims and consider religion very important in their lives. In the medium stage of secular transition, generations differ in their religious participation, importance and belonging. In countries that are moderately religious, all three steps in the P-I-B sequence are visible in recent surveys. Adults under 40 attend services less frequently than their elders, are less likely to say religion is important in their lives and are less likely to identify with any religion. This is the case currently in the U.S., along with many other countries in the Americas and Asia. In the late stage of secular transition, generations differ primarily in religious belonging. The authors contend that this is because the first two steps have been completed. The shares of older adults who attend services and who consider religion important in their lives have already dropped to low levels, similar to those of younger adults. In the least religious countries today, the main difference between age groups is that younger adults are less likely to identify with any religion. Many countries in Europe have reached this stage. For example, in Denmark, 79% of older adults remain religiously affiliated, but adults under 40 are 26 points less likely to say they belong to any religion. Attendance at religious services and self-assessments of the importance of religion are low among people of all ages.
September 15, 2025 at 6:03 AM
conradhackett.bsky.social
Most Americans say Trump has improperly used his office to:
💠Punish those who say things he does not like (66%)
💠Encourage federal investigations of his political opponents (62%)
💠Enrich himself or his friends and family (61%)
Most Americans think Trump is trying to exercise more power than previous presidents
49% of U.S. adults say Trump is trying to exercise more presidential power than previous presidents and that this is bad for the country.
www.pewresearch.org
October 30, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
pollcat.bsky.social
The AAPOR Task Force on 2024 Pre-Election Polling has released its final report today. aapor.org/wp-content/u...
aapor.org
October 29, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
richardwike.bsky.social
We've done a little on this, and it would be great to do more. Here's a 2022 report on knowledge about international news (obviously many of these items are outdated now): www.pewresearch.org/global/2022/...
What Do Americans Know About International Affairs?
Older Americans, those with more education and men tend to score better on our 12-question quiz about international knowledge. Republicans and Democrats have roughly the same levels of international k...
www.pewresearch.org
October 30, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
joemurph.bsky.social
Yesterday I was telling my daughter about @ichotiner.bsky.social and the power of a good question (and a good follow-up)... and today this excellent Q&A with the guy lands. www.cjr.org/the-intervie...
The Interview Assassin: Why Isaac Chotiner doesn’t mind the “gotcha” label.
Why Isaac Chotiner doesn’t mind the “gotcha” label.
www.cjr.org
October 30, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
macelikespace.bsky.social
Someone recommended the movie They Came Together (2014) to me on twitter a couple years ago and it was the funniest shit ever
conradhackett.bsky.social Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · Oct 8
Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?
October 29, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
caramelkangaroo.bsky.social
Met so many great people and made and maintained good friends. Gained lots of confidence.

Mostly thanks to Twitter and creating a fursona to put on it. It was fun and I've never been more known in any other way. I was very sad when I left. Still am.
conradhackett.bsky.social Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · Oct 8
Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?
October 29, 2025 at 10:43 PM
conradhackett.bsky.social
The United Nations estimates that 6.2 million babies will be born this year across the continent of Europe, including Russia.

A greater number of babies are expected to be born in Nigeria alone - 7.6 million kids!
population.un.org/dataportal/d...
Chart showing that more babies are now born in Nigeria than in all of Europe. Data is from the United Nations. Chart is from Our World in Data.
October 29, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
conradhackett.bsky.social
Please repost:

We're looking for an excellent writer/editor with strong data journalism skills to join the religion team at @pewresearch.org.

pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Center...
The writer/editor is a position within the Center’s Religion research team, which seeks to promote a deeper understanding of religion and spirituality. The Religion research team conducts surveys, demographic analyses and other social science research in the United States and around the world, studying people’s religious beliefs and practices as well as their views on related issues, including religion’s role in public life. The ideal candidate will have a strong data journalism mindset, with the ability to translate complex quantitative findings into clear and engaging narratives that are nonpartisan and non-advocacy. This position will be embedded within the Religion research team, where the writer/editor will work collaboratively to shape the team’s research agenda, including identifying key research questions; contributing to survey development; and synthesizing findings into accessible and compelling storylines. The writer/editor will also evaluate drafts of research reports to determine whether there are shortcomings in the analysis; edit, rewrite and reorganize drafts as necessary to improve flow and clarity; and work with researchers and designers to create appropriate charts and tables. In addition, the writer/editor will provide guidance and training to the Religion team’s researchers and serve as a writing resource. Following the release of reports, the writer/editor may help disseminate research to the public through the Center’s social media channels, videos, newsletters, and virtual or in-person gatherings, always adhering to the Center’s independent, nonpartisan, non-advocacy stance. 
October 23, 2025 at 11:55 PM
conradhackett.bsky.social
Guess I know why my plane has been waiting to take off … heading early to #SSSR2025 @sssreligion.bsky.social conference but we’ve been stuck on tarmac …
tomroussey.bsky.social Tom Roussey @tomroussey.bsky.social · 13d
The military is doing a series of flyovers over DC right now, just captured this video from Reagan National Airport.
October 28, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
stephaniekramer.bsky.social
So happy to see Matt's EXCELLENT paper out in the world. I originally agreed to pitch in with sermon transcript analyses largely because I have a soft spot for grad students with overly ambitious plans, and I'm so impressed by how it all turned out.
matthewibillet.bsky.social Matthew I. Billet @matthewibillet.bsky.social · 19d
New pre-print analyzing 25,000 Christian sermon transcripts across the USA. Churches account for most systematic variance in sermon content, geographic region accounts for none. We identify niches in sermon content that may guide religious competition in USA.

osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
October 28, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
jvmeter.bsky.social
A lovely thread
conradhackett.bsky.social Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · Oct 8
Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?
October 28, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
jmhorowitz.bsky.social
Are men and women different?

Most Americans say yes in many ways, but there’s little agreement on what’s driving these differences. Republicans tend to point to biology, while Democrats are more likely to point to societal expectations.

Read more: pewrsr.ch/3Nx6tkh
October 27, 2025 at 4:32 PM
conradhackett.bsky.social
As a graduate student, Cristobal Young demonstrated that findings from a prominent study didn't hold up beyond a very narrow set of modeling decisions.

I just learned Cristobal has written a book ("Multiverse Analysis") about generating robust results. Ordered!
www.cambridge.org/core/books/a...
Image of the book "Multiverse Analysis: Computational Methods for Robust Results."
October 27, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
pamelaoliver.bsky.social
#AcademicSky Phooey I can't remember enough details to find this again. It's a cool article (blog post?) about how an incorrect fact moves through citations to citations that includes identifying the original & having the original author wade in with apology. Anybody remember this? 1/
October 26, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Reposted by Conrad Hackett
conradhackett.bsky.social
65% of Americans are very concerned about the price of food and consumer goods.
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/10/03/most-americans-continue-to-rate-the-us-economy-negatively-as-partisan-gap-widens/
A dot plot showing that most Americans are very concerned about the price of food and consumer goods, housing costs. At least four-in-ten Americans say they are very concerned about the price of gasoline and energy (45%) and people who want to work being unable to find jobs (42%).
October 5, 2025 at 4:29 PM
conradhackett.bsky.social
Sociologists are far behind economists and political scientists when it comes to sharing data and code, as @jeremyfreese.bsky.social wrote nearly 20 years ago. Alas, there has been little change since then, especially in flagship @asanews.bsky.social journals.
boydetective.net/docs/freese-...
boydetective.net
October 26, 2025 at 9:11 PM