Social Connectedness Index

The Social Connectedness Index measures the strength of connectedness between two geographic areas as represented by Facebook friendship ties. These connections can reveal important insights about economic opportunities, social mobility, trade and more.

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Features

Friendship Data

The Social Connectedness Index offers a new type of data to the research and non-profit community, measuring the frequency and density of friendship and social ties around the world, a type of data that has rarely been made available to those interested in understanding how relationships affect social outcomes.

Global Reach

With over 2.5 billion active users globally, the Social Connectedness Index from Facebook provides the first comprehensive measure of social networks at an international level.

Privacy

The index provides researchers with connectedness scores, but not the number of links between two places or any of the underlying data. The data set uses sampling, differential privacy noise, and normalization to protect privacy.

By making granular geographical data on social connections available, Facebook is helping researchers and policymakers understand the role of information networks on how people respond in this COVID-19 public health crisis. Not only can the data help in identifying and even potentially predicting infection clusters, but it can also help policymakers understand the extent to which social capital and online interactions between different areas can facilitate social distancing, slowing the spread of COVID-19 by having people interact online instead.”

Ben Charoenwong, Assistant Professor of Finance at the National University of Singapore

Who Uses the Social Connectedness Index

Universities and Researchers

Researchers and universities can use the Index to see whether there is a relationship between social connectedness and socioeconomic trends like trade, migration or the spread of disease.

Non-profits

Nonprofits interested in understanding how social ties affect resilience after events like natural disasters and other shocks can benefit from these data.

Methodology

We use aggregated friendship connections on Facebook to measure social connectedness between geographies. Locations are assigned to users based on information they provide, connection information, and location services they have opted into (to learn more about how Facebook uses location data and how to control location privacy see Location Privacy Basics). We use these friendships to estimate the probability a pair of users in these countries are Facebook friends (we rescale based on the population of two regions) and map this to an index score called the Social Connectedness Index (SCI). If the SCI is twice as large between two pairs of regions, it means the users in the first region-pair. are about twice as likely to be connected than the second region-pair. More details on the methodology can be found by clicking Learn More below, or in the paper Social Connectedness: Measurement, Determinants, and Effects published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives.

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Case Studies

In this paper we investigate the impact of human mobility and social connectivity derived from Facebook activities on the weekly rate of new infections in Germany between March 3rd and June 22nd... In this paper we investigate the impact of human mobility and social connectivity derived from Facebook activities on the weekly rate of new infections in Germany between March 3rd and June 22nd, 2020. Our results confirm that reduced social activity lowers the infection rate, accounting for regional and temporal patterns. The extent of social distancing, quantified by the percentage of people staying put within a federal administrative district, has an overall negative effect on the incidence of infections.

Social Connectedness Index

On the Interplay of Regional Mobility, Social Connectedness, and the Spread of COVID-19 in Germany

In this paper we investigate the impact of human mobility and social connectivity derived from Facebook activities on the weekly rate of new infections in Germany between March 3rd and June 22nd, 2020. Our results confirm that reduced social activity lowers the infection rate, accounting for regional and temporal patterns. The extent of social distancing, quantified by the percentage of people staying put within a federal administrative district, has an overall negative effect on the incidence of infections.

Do informal social ties connecting inventors across distant places promote knowledge flows between them? To measure informal ties, we use a new and direct index of social connectedness of regions... Do informal social ties connecting inventors across distant places promote knowledge flows between them? To measure informal ties, we use a new and direct index of social connectedness of regions based on aggregate Facebook friendships. We identify a significant and robust effect of informal ties on patent citation.

Social Connectedness Index

No inventor is an island: social connectedness and the geography of knowledge flows in the US

Do informal social ties connecting inventors across distant places promote knowledge flows between them? To measure informal ties, we use a new and direct index of social connectedness of regions based on aggregate Facebook friendships. We identify a significant and robust effect of informal ties on patent citation.

This paper analyzes social connectedness as an information channel in bank lending. We move beyond the inefficient lending between peers in exclusive networks by exploiting Facebook data that reflect... This paper analyzes social connectedness as an information channel in bank lending. We move beyond the inefficient lending between peers in exclusive networks by exploiting Facebook data that reflect social ties within the U.S. population. After accounting for physical and cultural distances, social connectedness increases cross-county lending, especially when lending requires more information and screening incentives are intact.

Social Connectedness Index

The Role of Social Networks in Bank Lending

This paper analyzes social connectedness as an information channel in bank lending. We move beyond the inefficient lending between peers in exclusive networks by exploiting Facebook data that reflect social ties within the U.S. population. After accounting for physical and cultural distances, social connectedness increases cross-county lending, especially when lending requires more information and screening incentives are intact.

We use aggregated data from Facebook to study the structure of social networks across European regions. Social connectedness declines strongly in geographic distance and at country borders. Historical... We use aggregated data from Facebook to study the structure of social networks across European regions. Social connectedness declines strongly in geographic distance and at country borders. Historical borders and unions — such as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Czechoslovakia, and East/West Germany — shape present-day social connectedness over and above today's political boundaries. All else equal, social connectedness is stronger between regions with residents of similar ages and education levels, as well as between those that share a language and religion.

Social Connectedness Index

The Determinants and Effects of Social Connectedness in Europe

We use aggregated data from Facebook to study the structure of social networks across European regions. Social connectedness declines strongly in geographic distance and at country borders. Historical borders and unions — such as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Czechoslovakia, and East/West Germany — shape present-day social connectedness over and above today's political boundaries. All else equal, social connectedness is stronger between regions with residents of similar ages and education levels, as well as between those that share a language and religion.

In the News

Op-Ed: If states don’t coordinate lockdown procedures immediately, our future is grim Los Angeles Times The deadly cost of uncoordinated reopening of our states The Hill How Connected Is Your Community to Everywhere Else in America? The New York Times Far-flung Facebook friends may be good for your health The Economist Social connectedness: Measurement, determinants, and effects Vox EU Social Connectedness and Public Health Public Health Post In New York, Friendships Run Along Subway Lines Wired What Determines Your Social Network? In New York, Your Subway Line. Slate Facebook friendships can help predict COVID-19 spread, study finds The Guardian

Start working with the Social Connectedness Index

Check out the Facebook Social Connectedness Index, available for download on the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)’s Humanitarian Data Exchange. To reference this data, please use the following citation:
M. Bailey, R. Cao, T. Kuchler, J. Stroebel, and A. Wong. Social connectedness: Measurements, determinants, and effects. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 32(3):259–80, 2018b.and the Facebook Data for Good Program, Social Connectedness Index (SCI). https://dataforgood.fb.com/, Accessed DAY MONTH YEAR."

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