Curious about online behavior but missing the data? The National Internet Observatory (NIO) has you covered!
At NIO, we manage a longitudinal panel where participants contribute their online activity through browser extensions and mobile apps, coupled with detailed survey responses. We have been collecting data from panelists since 2022 and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Our datasets offer deep insights into adult (18+) Internet use across the US. All data is collected under the auspices of a robust research ethics framework, emphasizing ongoing informed consent and multiple layers (technical and legal) of protections for participants.
The NIO offers researchers access to a variety of datasets, at the level of individual panelists or aggregated, e.g., by time or by panelist demographics. Our datasets include:
- Panelists' demographics, including political affiliation
- Survey responses across several topics, including political attitudes, internet usage, news sources, psychological traits, mental health, demographics, and more
- Participant browsing histories, including transitions between websites and engagement with online media (audio and video)
- Participant’s usage of mobile apps
- Structured and parsed datasets of content that participants saw on selected websites, including search engines, social media platforms, and news outlets
Ready to dive in? Join the waitlist today!
Researchers who are invited to apply for data access can expect to complete a four-part process:
- Submit a research application that describes your project, your research questions, and the NIO datasets you will need access to.
- Sign a Code of Conduct that outlines acceptable uses of NIO data.
- Have a representative of your institution sign a Data Use Agreement with Northeastern University.
- Attend a training session to learn about our secure computing environment and appropriate procedures for using NIO datasets.
At the conclusion of this process, researchers will be given credentials to log in to our secure computing environment, which is where NIO datasets are made available.
And if you are potentially interested in integrating NIO data into a grant proposal, please contact us at Researchers@nationalinternetobservatory.org, and we can work with you to provide relevant descriptions of the data to incorporate into a proposal, as well as a letter of support.