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For this data to be useful, I think we first need to establish that people who use Facebook and participate in its surveys represent a relatively random sample

For this data to be useful, I think we first need to establish that people who use Facebook and participate in its surveys represent a relatively random sample of the general population. Or adjust for all the ways in which it does not. Otherwise, it's likely biased.

jaboutboul 6y ago
They address this: “ To help CMU measure results, Facebook shares a single statistic known as a weight value that doesn’t identify a person but helps correct for any sample bias, adjusting for who responds to survey invitations. Making adjustments using weights ensures that the sample more accurately reflects the characteristics of the population represented in the data. The weight for a survey respondent in the sample can be thought of as the number of people in the population that they represent based on their age, gender and state of residence.”