Discovering a New Way to Measure Poverty

Discovering a New Way to Measure Poverty

Researchers have long faced challenges in measuring poverty and understanding local development needs in areas where conventional data collection is difficult or impossible.

To address this issue, Rutgers researchers have pioneered the use of georeferenced content from Twitter (now known as X) as a poverty measurement tool, providing a new perspective on development from the ground up.

"This approach could transform how international aid and development work operates,"

said Woojin Jung, an assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Social Work and the principal investigator of the study.

"Instead of waiting years between expensive surveys, organizations could get real-time insights into community needs by analyzing what people are actually talking about online."

Author's summary: Researchers use Twitter to measure poverty.

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Rutgers University Rutgers University — 2025-10-14

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