Research Briefs

The state of California enforced some of the most rigid COVID-19 restrictions, yet also experienced a significant drop in life expectancy during the first two years of the pandemic, according to a new study co-authored by Princeton University, Northwestern University, and other institutions. The research team — led by…

Protecting land and water is essential to preserving habitats for wildlife and mitigating harmful climate change effects. This is why many countries — as well as the U.S. federal government and state of California, have pledged to protect 30% of all land and water by 2030, also known as the “30x30” initiative. Achieving this…

Around the world, hundreds of millions of acres of land are being abandoned due to what’s known as “rural outmigration,” or people leaving for urban centers. Some people leave in search of economic prosperity. Others are forced out due to conflict or the effects of climate change. Together with globalization and mechanization,…

A media diet rich with misinformation can increase misperceptions, heighten political cynicism, lower trust in the media, and further exacerbate growing polarization. Understanding which media outlets users visit — and why — is key to understanding how misinformation spreads and ways it can be stopped. Andy Guess of the…

Industrialization is considered the main way poor countries become developed. To successfully develop — or generate more wealth and output — many believe poor countries must shift employment away from agriculture and into manufacturing. Richard Rogerson, Charles and Marie Robertson Professor of Public and International…

Misinformation around COVID-19 circulated widely throughout the pandemic, exacerbating the severity of the global health crisis. Many journalists and social media companies sought to correct these inaccuracies by adding fact-checking mechanisms to their platforms. A team of researchers including Andy Guess of the Princeton…