Tracking Census Online Self-Completion Using Twitter Posts.

This article examines the impact of Twitter-based social media campaigns on the 2020 US Census online self-completion rate by identifying three prototypical user groups: Official Government Agency (GA), Census Advocate (CA), and Census Skeptic (CS). Using network analysis and clustering algorithms on nearly two million retweets, the study found that while the Census Skeptic group was the largest, only the activity of Census Advocate users—who amplified official Census messages—significantly predicted increases in online Census participation within five days. The Official Government Agency's direct posts did not independently influence completion rates, highlighting the importance of advocates, including celebrities and politicians, in promoting Census engagement. The findings suggest that social media campaigns, when supported by influential advocates, can positively affect public participation in large-scale national surveys, though the study acknowledges limitations such as the inability to establish definitive causality and the focus on Twitter alone.