Data

By: Kelly Matheson
Español | Français

With the success of efforts to secure climate-based rights internationally, now is the time to push for the most up-to-date scientific evidence to inform climate ...

By: Geoff Dancy & Christopher J. Fariss
Español

After collecting and analyzing recent search data from 109 countries in five different language groups, we found little to no evidence that people are becoming ...

By: Juan Ortiz Freuler
Español

The widespread adoption of artificial intelligence is fueling a probabilistic turn that shifts the focus from past to future, from individual to group behavior, ...

By: Ellie Happel & Beth Hoagland & Olriche Jean Pierre & Tess Russo
Español | Kreyòl

An interdisciplinary research team conducted the first community-owned baseline study on water in an area included in a mining permit in northern Haiti.

By: Jillienne Haglund & Courtney Hillebrecht
Español

A new tool helps people track recommendations and compliance about women’s rights in Europe.

By: Victoria Adelmant & Christiaan van Veen
Español

Algorithms calculating the probability of fraud were overwhelmingly and wrongly targeting immigrant groups.

By: Freya Doughty
Español

What’s next for the Lima Programme, a two-year work program created during COP20 to advance gender-responsive climate policies.

By: Juan Ortiz Freuler & Will Orr & Ana Brandusescu
Español

Nonprofits have to balance securing funds and staying true to their mission. How can we foster autonomy among organizations?

By: Sébastien Lorion
Español | Français | العربية

New research unearths comprehensive data on the global diffusion of national human rights action plans since the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights.

By: Juan Ortiz Freuler & Will Orr & Ana Brandusescu
Español

Nonprofits’ autonomy from their funders is particularly important in the digital rights space.

By: Ramona Vijeyarasa & José-Miguel Bello y Villarino
Español

The current absence of adequate regulation by states to protect human rights from the deployment of AI systems is, in itself, a violation of human rights.

By: Jordan T. Jones
Español

Michael Kleinman of Amnesty International USA reflects on the urgency of taking action against non-disclosure agreements.

By: Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky 
Español

The prevailing approach to understanding the pandemic overlooks the fact that the pandemic is a complex phenomenon, in which the social and political play as important ...

By: Sebastián Villamizar Santamaría
Español

This data column examines the threats to journalists worldwide.

By: Rodrigo Dornelles
Español | Português

A data-centered approach is fundamental in understanding our institutions and designing more effective strategies.

By: Sebastián Villamizar Santamaría
Español

In this Data Column, we explore and compare the usage of several climate-related terms in English and Spanish to track how they have evolved over time.

By: James Ron
Español

Based on a representative sample, researchers found that respondents’ assessment of current human and civil rights conditions was strongly correlated with their ...

By: Deirdre de Burca
Español

There is an urgent need for the international community to extend the scope of the SDG 16 civic space indicators that promote and protect civic space.

By: Francesca Feruglio & Maria Silvia Emanuelli & Imogen Richmond-Bishop & Brian Omala
Español | Français | العربية

Exclusion in data—which often reflects society’s values and biases about who and what counts—means exclusion in reality when it comes to crises and public policy.

By: Beatriz Botero Arcila
Español

Surveillance thrives in unequal environments, and the pandemic has increased inequality. We need a welfare state for our digital information economy.

By: Ana Cernov & Iara Pietricovsky & Nathalie Beghin
Português | Español

Budgetary decisions are always political, and these documents are a crucial tool for civil society to protect rights and demand justice.

By: Ramona Vijeyarasa
Español | Français | العربية

Quantitative approaches such as the Gender Legislative Index offer advantages compared to using resource-intensive qualitative approaches alone.

By: Isabel Laura Ebert & Thorsten Busch
Español | Français

The tech industry must engage with those affected by data errors and embedded discrimination to avoid systemic bias in data models.

By: Nora Götzmann
Español | Français

It's time to ask important questions about the integrity of human rights impact assessments and their application.

By: Erin Thomas
Español | Na Vosa Vakaviti

To advance equity for girls and to improve faith in the justice system, combatting biases that privilege the interests of perpetrators of gender-based violence ...

By: Elizabeth Andersen & Alicia Evangelides
Español

The rule of law is the foundation for human rights, and a global index shows respect for this fundamental principle is declining worldwide—a persistent trend evident ...

By: Ilia Savelev
Español | Français

Human rights mapping has been key to global advocacy for LGBT+ and can be used elsewhere to flag issues of concern and provide empirical data on rights violations.

By: James Ron & Howard Lavine
Español

Homegrown nativists in the U.S. dislike both Jews and Muslims, which could help both groups work toward mutual understanding.

By: Alexandre Abdal & Andréa Pineda & Fernando do Amaral Nogueira & Juana Kweitel
Español | Português

The existing rejection and distrust of human rights among high-income Brazilians result mostly from lack of knowledge and reflection, rather than populist or radical ...

By: Howard Lavine & James Ron
Español

Religious leaders can help convince the most ethnocentric and authoritarian American voters to oppose Washington’s backing of abusive dictators.

By: James Ron & Howard Lavine & Shannon Golden

Polls that show Americans support airstrikes against suspected terrorists ignore some very large caveats.

By: Alexander H. Montgomery & Charli Carpenter

Recent studies argue that Americans are relatively insensitive to the laws of war. There’s only one problem: that conclusion is wrong.

By: Laura Ligouri
Español | Français | العربية

Capitalizing on the brain’s capacity to simulate events, messages of positive behavior – instead of repeated exposure to accounts of abuse – could better lead to ...

By: James Logan
Español

Within the human rights community, there is a growing enthusiasm for new narratives to build public support for human rights. But creating a new narrative is about ...

By: Katrin Kinzelbach & Janika Spannagel
Español | Français

Changing the way we document human rights abuses—such as paying more attention to soft repression—could correct our understanding of what is really happening.

By: Molly Land & Theresa Harris
Español

Human rights researchers are seeking new ways to establish facts, creating new opportunities for collaboration between researchers, scientists, and academics.

By: PeiYao Chen & Natalia Karbowska
Español | Français | العربية | Русский | Українська

A new measurement tool helps social movement actors identify where they are progressing and where they can improve—but what comes after the assessment is the most ...

By: Anne-Marie Brook & K. Chad Clay & Susan Randolph

The launch of the Human Rights Measurement Initiative dataset promises to provide comprehensive overviews of how countries are performing on human rights commitments.

By: Collins Liko
Español

Cartels in Kenya are controlling public resources and access to information, but community mobilization is starting to change this power dynamic.

By: Enrique Piracés
Español

The amount of digital information available online presents human rights practitioners with a valuable opportunity to document abuses and address a broad scope ...

By: Allison Corkery 
Español | العربية

The methods human rights researchers and advocates use determine what injustices we see and prioritize, making methodology far more than just a technical choice.

By: James Ron
Español

Have feminists made traction in campaigning that “women’s rights are human rights?" We interviewed thousands of people to find out.

By: César Rodríguez-Garavito
Español

A new collaboration in Colombia is bringing together activists, scientists, physicians and other experts to collect hard evidence on the human rights impacts of ...

By: Charles T. Call & David Crow & James Ron
Español | Français | العربية

Many Republicans believe that the UN curbs America’s interests, but people in the global South often view the UN as a tool of the United States. Why?

By: John Mwebe & Preksha Kumar

Several investment banks recently withdrew from a project in Malawi due to community-led activism and research on the inherent risks of the proposed plan.

By: Cosette Creamer & Amy Hill Cosimini & Yagmur Karakaya & Suzy McElrath
Español | Français

Marketing and public health provide useful lessons about framing and pre-testing messages and good media relations to deliver effective human rights awareness campaigns.

By: K. Chad Clay

Help nominate countries for a pilot study aiming to produce cross-national human rights data on a comprehensive list of internationally recognized human rights.

By: Samira Bueno & Renato Sérgio de Lima
Español | Português

Many Brazilians indicate that they would accept authoritarianism and government violence to solve social problems.

By: Geoff Dancy

Anti-ICC narratives resonate with a crucial minority of Kenyan citizens, but not with victims of political violence.

By: Joe Braun & Stephen Arves

Effectively motivating people to care about human rights depends largely on where they fall on the political spectrum.

By: Yael Zeira

Experiments show international recognition of statehood could change popular support for violence in self-determination conflicts.

By: Michael Caster
简体中文 | Español

When approaching digital security for human rights defenders in hostile environments, we need to think more about practical behavior.

By: Ana Bracic

A video game experiment in Slovenia reveals discriminatory practices against the Roma—what else might experiments teach us about human rights?

By: David Crow & José Kaire & James Ron
Español

Marketing research can help Mexican rights groups monetize their “brand” and boost public donations.

By: Michele Leiby & Matthew Krain
Español

Framing issues in different ways can undermine or bolster support of human rights, and experiments can help to explain why.

By: Gulnaz Anjum & Adam Chilton

Experiments on support for women’s rights in Pakistan could improve the implementation and enforcement of UN treaties.

By: Merrill Sovner

Human rights practitioners and researchers often ask very different questions when collecting data—how can we bridge these gaps?

By: Lawrence Saez

Existing datasets on human rights have methodological weaknesses that can make them useless for any meaningful statistical analysis.

By: Danna Ingleton

When we incorporate new technologies into human rights work, we need to be acutely aware of agency, participation and consent.

By: Zara Rahman

With all the hype about new technologies for human rights, activists must think critically and strategically.

By: James Ron & José Kaire & David Crow
Español

New research suggests that if human rights organizations use evidence-based fundraising strategies, the public will donate.

By: Katie Kraska

With the range of options available to document and analyze human rights, it’s important to help researchers and advocates use data responsibly and appropriately.

By: Joachim J. Savelsberg 

When NGOs alter their narratives of mass violence depending on the cultural characteristics of each country, which version dominates?

By: Steffen Jensen & Tobias Kelly
Español | Français

Documenting torture has always been problematic, but the experiences of the poor are continually left out of the picture.

By: Will H. Moore
Español | العربية

Americans’ support for torture increases depending on who is involved and how it is framed.

By: Dahlia Scheindlin
Español | עברית | العربية

In Israel, public support for the term, “human rights,” is falling; support for actual human rights policies, however, is strong.

By: K. Chad Clay

Yes, cross-national datasets are inappropriate for understanding the lived experience of those suffering from human rights abuse, but that’s not why we need them.

By: Todd Landman 

To suggest that relying on cross-national analyses perpetuates human rights abuses is simply fallacious.

By: Neve Gordon & Nitza Berkovitch

Using cross-national data in human rights research helps perpetuate social wrongs.

By: Samuel L. Myers Jr.
Português

Without adequate data, the US racial divide remains a matter of perception, rather than of careful empirical analysis.

By: Jeong-Woo Koo 

A recent political uproar in South Korea has exacerbated the public’s diminishing trust in government officials.

By: James Ron
Español

Human rights groups have lost—or never gained—the trust of roughly half their (potentially) strongest supporters.

By: Meg Satterthwaite

While data is important for human rights advocacy, the risks of misleading people are also very real and advocates must insist on rigor.

By: Diana Isabel Güiza Gómez 
Español

After 50 years, the Colombian government has signed a historic ceasefire agreement. But how can we get more Colombians on board?

By: Michael Bear Kleinman 
Español

Mobile polling could revolutionize how civil society and human rights groups operate—if it’s done right.

By: Marko Ivkovic 
Español | Српски

Using polling data, the National Democratic Institute is helping LGBTI groups in southeastern Europe build their activist base.

By: Benjamin A. Valentino & Ethan Weinberg 

Debates about the label “genocide” distract from the substantive discussion about whether and how to stop the killing.

By: Hussein Baoumi
Français | العربية

In some countries, relying on local funding gives human rights defenders even less freedom.

By: Ana Bracic
Español

New research shows that people who experience discrimination are less likely to contribute to the common good.

By: Lauren Kitz
Español

For countries in democratic transition, using public opinion research to inform the strategy of social movements has added value.

By: Rachel Schmidt

Partnering with a comedienne and taking to social media, Human Rights Watch is getting creative to gain traction on women’s rights in Morocco.

By: Will H. Moore

Everyone loves numbers, but when we use them in human rights, how often are we misrepresenting the data?

By: Bill Mawby & Theresa Harris

The human rights field could learn a lot from evidence-based practices developed in business and medicine.

By: Ian Allen & Megan Manion & Thandi Matthews & Robert Ralston

Millions of dollars that could address socio-economic disparities are lost through illicit financial flows, but budget analysis could help.

By: Hyeran Jo & Beth A. Simmons
Español

Systematic assessments reveal that the ICC can deter intentional civilian killing, but only under the right conditions.

By: Amelia Hoover Green
Español

The demand for numerical data on human rights has never been higher, but no data can be taken at face value.

By: Theodore P. Gerber 
Español | Русский

Despite Putin’s clampdown on Russian civil society, public opinion trends point to growing support for civil liberties.

By: Dahlia Scheindlin
Español | Français

There are many reasons to avoid public opinion research, but there are even more reasons to invest in it.

By: Shannon N. Green
Español

As space for civil society closes, donors and civil society leaders are realizing they cannot take public support for granted.

By: Colin Irwin 

Why have global leaders continually been ignoring the views of Muslims—and especially of Syrians—on conflict?

By: Ana Bracic & Amanda Murdie
Español

Repressive governments can damage the effectiveness of human rights action by attempting to discredit a prisoner of conscience.

By: Carla Sutherland 

South Africa stands apart from the criminalization of homosexuality in Africa, but without surveys, we still don’t know the public’s opinion.

By: Dahlia Scheindlin

Winning the public’s trust requires that NGOs be open to understanding, and respecting, the public’s perspectives.

By: Joel R. Pruce
Español

Broad public support for human rights is a false front—not a mass movement but a loosely bound herd.

By: Tamar Hermann 
العربية | עברית

Israeli public opinion is not nearly as anti-democratic as is often depicted. Israeli leadership, however, is another story.

By: Zine El Abidine Meknassi 
Français | العربية

Moroccan authorities still use old methods of oppressing opponents. Without popular support, can human rights groups fight back?

By: Dahlia Scheindlin
Español | العربية | עברית

Backed into a corner, Israeli human rights groups are trying to better understand and utilize public opinion.

By: Laurence Janta-Lipinski
Español

Knowing your audience, and tailoring messages accordingly, will make or break a human rights campaign.

By: Kenneth Roth
Español | Français | العربية

If polls don’t target relevant publics, they misinform activism.

By: Neil Crowther
Español | Français

Effective counter-framing is crucial to improve public opinion on human rights.

By: Khalil Shikaki 
Français | العربية

Public perception on human rights in the Middle East can provide important insights on state building.

By: Colin Irwin 

Public opinion polls can help bring forward the voice of the silent majority, who mostly favour peace in situations of violent conflict.

By: Kevin Nix 
Español | Français

Was there a magic messaging bullet that helped change American public opinion on same-sex marriage?

By: Erica Weiss 
עברית | العربية

Experience of intense combat not only turns Israeli soldiers against conflict resolution, it can also spur them to become anti-occupation activists.

By: Tanisha M. Fazal
Español | Français

Is American public opinion on drones influenced by international law, or is it the low-to-no American casualties that have more sway?

By: Claire Thomas
Español

The human rights community should embrace evaluation not for our donors, but for our beneficiaries.

By: Nat Kendall-Taylor 
Español

Understanding how people think about human rights, not just what they think, is critical to effective communication.

By: Kathy Frankovic 
မြန်မာဘာသာ

Many activists in Myanmar (Burma) are very skeptical of public opinion polling. But these polls are a key starting point for a larger conversation on democracy.

By: Ryan E. Carlin & Jennifer L. Mccoy & Jelena Subotic
Español

New research shows that providing context for human rights issues yields a broader range of responses to peace talks in Colombia.

By: Rachid Touhtou  & James Ron & Shannon Golden
Français | العربية

Without building a strong popular base, the Moroccan human rights community cannot capitalize on its good reputation.

By: Brian Root 
Español | Français | العربية

Human Rights Watch generally avoids burdensome evaluations; instead, we’re looking for “light and agile” reflections on our work.

By: Meriem El Haitami & Shannon Golden & James Ron
Français | العربية

Pundits say that religion and human rights are opposing forces in Morocco, especially around women’s rights. Our Human Rights Perception Polls suggest a more nuanced ...

By: Jeong-Woo Koo 
Español | 한국어

External, “objective” measures of South Korea’s human rights progress will only take us so far. What we need now are the opinions of the people.

By: Rachel Krys
Español | Français

Amidst widespread negative views on human rights in the UK, public opinion research can help improve outreach strategies.

By: Sarah Kreps & Geoffrey Wallace
Español | Français

When it comes to public opinion on drone strikes, the UN and NGOs may have more influence than we think.

By: Dona-Gene Barton & Courtney Hillebrecht & Sergio Wals
Español

Study finds that Mexicans’ perceptions of human rights protections are linked to individuals’ evaluations of their leaders, their government and democratization.

By: David Crow
Español

Most Mexicans don’t associate human rights with protecting criminals, but surveys show this varies depending on region and political affiliation.

By: Jessica Montell
Español | العربية | עברית

Polls help identify wedge issues, but what happens if human rights activists only pick fights they can win?

By: Dahlia Scheindlin
Español | עברית | العربية

Polls indicate that Jewish Israelis generally support the concept of human rights, but are less supportive of Israeli human rights organizations – especially those ...

By: Kathy Frankovic 

When political polls go wrong, many people start to doubt polling entirely. But that’s a costly mistake.

By: Sarah E. Mendelson
Español | Français | Русский

NGOs have often resisted social science methods, but random sampling and public opinion survey data can help us understand what people actually think and want.

By: James Ron & Shannon Golden & David Crow & Archana Pandya
Español | Français | العربية

Opinion polls across four world regions suggest that human rights activists can be cautiously optimistic—the public likes and trusts them.

By: Emma Naughton & Kevin Kelpin
Español | Français | العربية

Yes, human rights work must be measured, but we need to focus on the small steps as well as the “big picture.”

By: Vincent Ploton
Español | Français

Human rights groups are understandably reluctant to use “results-based management”, but embracing this approach can boost their impact.

By: Octavio Luiz Motta Ferraz
Español | Português

To advance the polarized openGlobalRights debate on economic and social rights, we need more empirical research, and less ideology.

By: Dan Berliner
Español | Français

Budget transparency has the potential to make governments more accountable, but research shows that it occurs most often where it is least needed.

By: Helena Hofbauer
Español | Bahasa | Français | 简体中文

Recent research reveals the impact that international covenants could have on government taxation and expenditures. Based on civil society organization (CSO) campaigns ...

By: Doutje Lettinga
Español | Français | العربية

A global poll into perceptions of human rights confirms there is hope for international human rights organizations to build alliances within Southern civil societies ...

By: Christen Dobson & Lucía Carrasco Scherer & Emilienne de León
Español | Français | العربية | Português

Using the first-ever data-driven effort to track global human rights funding, representatives from two major global funding networks based in the U.S. and Mexico ...

By: James Ron & Archana Pandya
Türkçe | Español | Français | Português | العربية | עברית

Despite enjoying a fair bit of local support, local human rights organizations (LHROs) in the Global South are still largely dependent on foreign funds. To better ...

By: James Ron & David Crow & Shannon Golden
Español | Français | العربية | Português | Türkçe

Using cutting-edge human rights perception polls, the authors explore links between social class and domestic human rights movements in Mexico, Colombia, Morocco, ...