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Project Citation: 

Allcott, Hunt, Gentzkow, Matthew, Wittenbrink, Benjamin, Brown, Taylor, Cisneros, Juan Carlos, Crespo-Tenorio, Adriana, … Tucker, Joshua A. Code for "The Effect of Deactivating Facebook and Instagram on Users’ Emotional State". Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2026. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2026-03-31. https://doi.org/10.3886/E237316V1

Project Description

Summary:  View help for Summary We estimate the effect of social media deactivation on users’ emotional state in two large randomized experiments before the 2020 U.S. election. People who deactivated Facebook for the six weeks before the election reported a 0.060 standard deviation improvement in an index of happiness, depression, and anxiety, relative to controls who deactivated for just the first of those six weeks. People who deactivated Instagram for those six weeks reported a 0.041 standard deviation improvement relative to controls. Exploratory analysis suggests the Facebook effect is driven by people over 35, while the Instagram effect is driven by women under 25.

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms social media; social networks; presidential elections; emotional state
JEL Classification:  View help for JEL Classification
      D72 Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
      I31 General Welfare; Well-Being
      L82 Entertainment; Media
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage United States
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 9/1/2020 – 12/1/2020
Universe:  View help for Universe US adult users of Facebook and Instagram
Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) experimental data; survey data


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