Social Data Science

Projects

Social data science asks how data-intensive methods can be used to understand society — and what those methods do to the research we produce.

Substantive research

We use data-intensive methods to understand society, through digital trace data, register data, surveys or other materials. Our methods include exploratory quantitative approaches, applications of machine and deep learning, and work with text, visual materials, and networks. Our specific areas are wellbeing & health and digital society, but with our colleagues we have been known to venture outside them.

Methodological research

We reflect on, explore, and develop methods and their use in the social sciences. We study what our tools measure, where they fail, and how they can be made more reproducibility, robust, theory-driven, and ethical for social scientific inquiry.

Research Projects

FinnSurveyText Combining survey statistics and modern language technology to analyse open-ended survey responses in Finnish. Explore project LATA: Trust in Algorithms in the Age of AI Investigating trust in algorithmic governance and how experience with AI may shape algorithm aversion. Explore project Neurodiversity at Work Studying workplace experiences of neurodivergent adults in Finland and developing practical recommendations for neuroinclusive workplaces. Explore project Perma+H SOM Using computational language analysis and Self-Organizing Maps to explore wellbeing across languages, communities, and contexts. Explore project