In the academic sphere: Authors sometimes use LLMs to "improve readbility". But AI often does more than that: it changes text in ways that change meaning. So, the revised text might attribute ideas to other scholars in ways that amount to a misrepresentation. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

AI altering meaning of users’ drafts on issues from abortion to climate, study finds

Researchers say small changes in drafting could spread rapidly and create long-term shifts in public opinion

theguardian.com

Pro tip: if you're going to write to a journal editor asking why your manuscript doesn't have a decision yet, it's best to ensure that you haven't declined every review request from that journal for several years. Where are we meant to get reviews (& thus timely outcomes), if not from you??

Join us at #ISQOLS2026 to hear keynote, @dbartram.bsky.social , sociologist at the University of Leicester, Editor-in-Chief of Social Indicators Research, and ISQOLS Board Member / VP of Publications and Research. 📍 Lexington, KY 📅 Aug 11–14, 2026 ⏰ Early bird ends May 15 🔗 isqols.org/2026

Another manuscript submitted to @socialindicators.bsky.social that has obvious AI ref hallucinations. Why obvious? Because one of them was to an article by me -- except that it's not something I wrote. Likewise with an "article" by colleagues I know well. If it's the refs, it's likely the paper.

WISER highlights a new paper by Fengyu Wu & Jeff Nugent in @socialindicators.bsky.social Using WVS & Gallup World Poll data (2009–21), it shows that civic engagement-volunteering, donating, associations-can buffer well-being losses from health and marital challenges #wiser #wellbeingeconomy

We now check manuscripts for the possibility that AI has been used to produce the paper. Springer's system does some automated checking but doesn't catch everything. So, in certain situations we check the refs for hallucinations. Latest manuscript: multiple hallucinations. Author will be banned.

We now check manuscripts for the possibility that AI has been used to produce the paper. Springer's system does some automated checking but doesn't catch everything. So, in certain situations we check the refs for hallucinations. Latest manuscript: multiple hallucinations. Author will be banned.

Paper out with @jpinasanchez.bsky.social & @marcelo-f-aebi.bsky.social in @socialindicators.bsky.social 🔔 How often do we compare crime recorded across countries? We show that crime counting rules vary widely across countries and this strongly affects cross-country comparisons

Final week before authors are meant to stop working. On the publisher's submission system I can see there are 50 new manuscripts, waiting to be assigned to me. FIFTY! & why wouldn't there be more over the weekend. What a lovely week of "holiday" I will have. @socialindicators.bsky.social

📖 New publication: "From Lifespan Inequality to Lifespan Inequity"! @mmuszynskas.bsky.social, Yukiko Asada, @alysonvanraalte.bsky.social and Isaac Sasson demonstrate the importance of normative assumptions in the measurement of demographic phenomena. 🔗 Read now: tinyurl.com/3rey89f3 #demography

From Lifespan Inequality to Lifespan Inequity - Social Indicators Research

This article introduces a comprehensive framework for defining and quantifying lifespan inequity within a population, grounded in the capability approach. Lifespan inequity (i.e., unfair inequality) i...

tinyurl.com

The GSS asked the same people about their childhood income rank three different times. 56% changed their answer, even though what was trying to be measured couldn’t change! We dig into this in a new article at @socialindicators.bsky.social. 

 doi.org/10.1007/s112... 🧵👇 (1/5)

Growing up Different(ly than Last Time We Asked): Social Status and Changing Reports of Childhood Income Rank - Social Indicators Research

How we remember our past can be shaped by the realities of our present. This study examines how changes to present circumstances influence retrospective reports of family income rank at age 16. While retrospective survey data can be used to assess the long-term effects of childhood conditions, present-day circumstances may “anchor” memories, causing shifts in how individuals recall and report past experiences. Using panel data from the 2006–2014 General Social Surveys (8,602 observations from 2,883 individuals in the United States), we analyze how changes in objective and subjective indicators of current social status—income, financial satisfaction, and perceived income relative to others—are associated with changes in reports of childhood income rank, and how this varies by sex and race/ethnicity. Fixed-effects models reveal no significant association between changes in income and in childhood income rank. However, changes in subjective measures of social status show contrasting effects, as increases in current financial satisfaction are associated with decreases in childhood income rank, but increases in current perceived relative income are associated with increases in childhood income rank. We argue these opposing effects follow from theories of anchoring in recall bias. We further find these effects are stronger among males but are consistent across racial/ethnic groups. This demographic heterogeneity suggests that recall bias is not evenly distributed across the population and has important implications for how different groups perceive their own pasts. Our findings further highlight the malleability of retrospective perceptions and their sensitivity to current social conditions, offering methodological insights into survey reliability and recall bias.

doi.org

...or let your ears do the work and listen to our new podcast episode (but admire the cat, too, obviously)

Understanding Society@usociety.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Our podcast is back from its summer break! Our new episode has Adelina Gschwandtner @kent.ac.uk and Ashleigh Brown from RSPCA discussing pets and life satisfaction, and how it’s possible to work out a monetary value for the benefits we get from cats and dogs

1️😷🔀 @apweiland.bsky.social @mreifenscheid.bsky.social M.Dreier, P.Steins & I use Mannheim Corona Study & SQA to examine employment trajectories during the pandemic and how they are associated with subjective outcomes. @socialindicators.bsky.social doi.org/10.1007/s112... 🧵⬇️ bsky.app/profile/apwe...

Inequality in Employment Trajectories and their Consequences for Perceived Employment Insecurity and Work Satisfaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Social Indicators Research

This paper evaluates inequalities in employment trajectories during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany and their association with changes in perceived employment insecurity and work s...

doi.org

Andreas P. Weiland@apweiland.bsky.social · last yr.

Publication alert: @katjamoe.bsky.social @mreifenscheid.bsky.social M.Dreier, P.Steins and I explore employment trajectories during the early pandemic in Germany and their link to perceived employment insecurity and work satisfaction in the short- and longer term. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Call for Submissions / Convocatoria de Resúmenes ✨ Quality of Life, Well-being and Happiness in Latin America ISQOLS 2026 Regional Conference, Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 📅 9–11 March 2026 | Univ. de Palermo Deadline/Fecha límite: 30 Sept 2025 🔗 isqols.org/Argentina #ISQOLS #Wellbeing

Radicalism stems less from #poverty or #inequality than from the ache of being stuck in a place that doesn't matter. According to @cbd-paradigm.bsky.social, Burger & Webber in @socialindicators.bsky.social‬‬ , it grows in towns drained of people and public culture. doi.org/10.1007/s112...

Geographies of feeling stuck behind and populist voting in The Netherlands - Social Indicators Research

This article adds to the debate on the polarization of modern society by examining whether two principal theories, ‘voting with their feet’ and feelings of being ‘left behind’, can jointly explain the...

doi.org

Published @socialindicators.bsky.social as part of a special issue on The impact of the COVID-19 effects on individuals’ subjective well-being. Curated by M. Collischon, J. Kroh and @patzinaalex.bsky.social link.springer.com/collections/...

A reminder to authors intending to submit manuscripts to Social Indicators Research: Please consult our editorial article, to gain guidance on our aims & scope as well as some core methodological ideas. @isa-rc55.bsky.social link.springer.com/article/10.1...

🔊Publication alert. Inequality and Status Anxiety: Bad Allies of Health and Well-Being, but not for Everyone. The Role of Ideologies, Socioeconomic Status, and Economic Threat at @socialindicators.bsky.social lead by D.Melita from @labdesigualdad.bsky.social Full article: doi.org/10.1007/s112...

Great piece by Yukiko Asada et al. @socialindicators.bsky.social on taking seriously 'luck' as a driver of life outcomes and inequality, creatively illustrated with reference to the life course of a certain French painter in this figure. Full article: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

I've been trying to get authors to post their code (in submissions to @socialindicators.bsky.social); virtually no-one does. After a 1-year trial period where it is only "strongly encouraged", I think it needs to become mandatory. Desk-rejections will skyrocket (already very high). So be it...

Thanks @psalasr.bsky.social & #DIGCLASS (@guillemvidal.me & D.Villani) for the @lisdata.bsky.social Award! Wealth is stratified by class💸—Class isn't dead 🧟 📝Article @socialindicators.bsky.social: link.springer.com/article/10.1... 📰Post @lseinequalities.bsky.social: blogs.lse.ac.uk/inequalities...

Wealth and Income Stratification by Social Class in Five European Countries - Social Indicators Research

Wealth is a central determinant of life chances and intergenerational status persistence in modern societies. Despite increasing attention, sociologists traditionally overlooked its role in class-base...

link.springer.com

LSE Inequalities@lseinequalities.bsky.social · last yr.

Pedro Salas-Rojo, Carlos J. Gil-Hernández, Guillem Vidal-Lorda, and Davide Villani have won the Aldi Hagenaars Memorial Award for their paper 'Wealth Inequality and Stratification by Social Classes in 21st-Century Europe.' Congratulations to the authors for their recognition!

📑 New publication in Social Indicators Research: "Introducing the Social Integration Index for Older Europeans: The Role of Gender and Care Regimes" Social integration plays a vital role in the health and longevity of older adults, yet a comparative European measurement tool has been lacking.

📢 Thrilled to share our new paper with MerlePohlmeyer& KarinSchulzeBuschoff, just published in @socialindicators.bsky.social “Diverging Paths? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Subjective Well-Being of the Solo Self-Employed and Employees in Germany (2019–2023)” 🔗 rdcu.be/ers11 🧵 Key insights 👇

📊 The study, published in @socialindicators.bsky.social, highlights that reducing inequality is not only fair but also improves our collective well-being. 🔗 More info: doi.org/10.1007/s112... #SocialResearch #Inequality

Perceived Economic Inequality Is Negatively Associated with Subjective Well-being through Status Anxiety and Social Trust - Social Indicators Research

The relationship between economic inequality and subjective well-being has produced mixed results in the literature. Conflicting evidence may be due to overlooking the role of psychosocial processes t...

doi.org

🚨 A world-first in happiness research! ISQOLS' Talita Greyling & Stephanie Rossouw created a real-time Happiness Index using Google Trends™ + machine learning. Fast, dynamic insights for policy & well-being. 🔗 Read the full article here: link.springer.com/article/10.1... #ISQOLS #GNH #Wellbeing

The Editorial Boards of leading health economics journals are issuing a Joint Statement of Principles on Editorial Independence. In these troubled times some scholars worry their work might suffer ideological attack. We reaffirm our commitment to unfettered scholarship. Please repost.

🎥 New Video! 30 Years of ISQOLS Impact: Reflections on community, careers & connection from Stephanie Rossouw, Valerie Møller & Andrew Clark. 👀 Watch: youtu.be/prZ5xJb50a0?... 🎉 Join us in Luxembourg, 21–25 July! #ISQOLS2025 #ISQOLS30 #QualityOfLife

30 Years of ISQOLS Impact: Veteran Reflections on Community, Career, and Connection

YouTube video by ISQOLS

youtu.be

We are seeing multiple instances of reviewers doing manuscript reviews via use of AI/LLM. If you don't want to do a review the old-fashioned way, better to decline the request. Giving someone else's manuscript to AI is a violation of intellectual property rights/laws; the manuscript isn't yours...

Thinking of submitting a manuscript to Social Indicators Research? We (the editors) have published some detailed guidance for authors: rdcu.be/dQwLD Underlying idea: authors should have access to a clear sense of how the editors evaluate manuscripts.

Reminder! Register until May 10 at shorturl.at/eJJwW

Bruno Arpino@brunoarpino.bsky.social · last yr.

📅 May 16, 2025, 10:30–12:30 | Univ. of Padua 🎓: “What Makes a Rigorous Quantitative Social Research?” w/ Prof. David Bartram, Editor of Social Indicators Research Register at: shorturl.at/eJJwW