A research study on reading and discussing the news.

What is the Agora News Study?

We are university researchers studying political discussion online. Participants recruited through Prolific use a purpose-built mobile app to read and discuss news in a private group.

The app is used only for research. It carries no advertising, does not sell anything, and is not a commercial social network.

What does taking part involve?

1. Complete a short baseline survey through Prolific.
2. Install the Agora News Study app and enter the enrollment code you receive.
3. Use the app for about two weeks to read news and take part in a small-group discussion.
4. Complete a closing survey.

News is selected by the research team from a range of U.S. outlets. Discussion groups may include people with different political viewpoints.

What will other participants know about me?

You participate under an assigned pseudonym. Other group members do not see your real name, email address, Prolific ID, or payment information.

For the study, we collect survey responses, posts and replies, activity in the app, and which study articles you open and how long you spend reading them. Submitted content may also be processed automatically for safety and moderation and may be reviewed by the research team. The privacy policy gives the full details.

How am I paid?

Payments are made through Prolific. The exact amount and any completion requirements are shown in the Prolific study listing before you agree to participate. We will never ask you for bank or card details.

Can I stop participating?

Yes, at any time and without giving a reason. Payment for parts you have already completed is not affected.

You can also delete your account from inside the app. This disables your login immediately and permanently removes your Prolific ID from the study's records, so nothing can be traced back to you. Your survey answers and posts remain in the dataset under your pseudonym, because the results could not be verified without them. The privacy policy explains exactly what this involves.

Who is running the study?

Questions?

App access, participation, or payment:
support@agoranewsstudy.org

Privacy or data requests:
privacy@agoranewsstudy.org