Social Data for Health: Advancing health and wellbeing research across disciplines
This landscaping review presents findings and recommendations on the ways social data can advance research on life, health and wellbeing across public health, humanities and social sciences.
Report at a glance
This report was commissioned by Wellcome and produced by The GovLab.
- Strategic programme:
- What's inside:
- The current landscape of social data for research on life, health and wellbeing in terms of data types, current research uses and initiatives. Key challenges and opportunities in using social data for research on life, health and wellbeing across population and public health, humanities and social sciences. Recommendations to promote the use of social data in discovery research.
- Who this is for:
- Funders, the research community, policymakers and wider stakeholders
- Creative commons:
Digital data generated through human interactions with technology platforms, devices and systems that can be used for health and wellbeing research.
Summary
Most people now generate large amounts of digital data through their everyday activities and interactions - whether commuting, shopping, communicating or searching for things online. These social data sources are increasingly being used in health and wellbeing research around the world. Yet, questions remain around:
the unique value of social data for health and wellbeing research
how social data can be integrated into cross-disciplinary health research programs
how to make social data more accessible to health researchers
This landscape review, commissioned by Wellcome and produced by The GovLab, aims to answer these questions by mapping how social data has been used in health and wellbeing research around the world. This review mainly focuses on the United Kingdom (UK) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This report examines the opportunities and current challenges in this space, to identify areas where greater investment and coordination are needed.
This review was guided by an international advisory board and conducted using several methods including a literature review of over 290 studies, group discussions (referred to as “studios” in the report), interviews and a peer review with 23 experts.
The goal of this report is to raise the profile of social data for health and to inform funders, researchers and practitioners on how to connect new initiatives, reduce duplication and integrate social data more effectively into health research ecosystems worldwide.
Key findings
The current landscape of social data for health
55 distinct sources of social data for health and wellbeing research were identified, covering:
communication and social interaction data (for example, social media posts)
mobility and geolocation data (for example, GPS traces)
health and wellness tracking data (for example, wearables)
environmental and infrastructure data (for example, satellite imagery)
financial and consumption data (for example, loyalty card transactions)
in-home and Internet of Things (IoT) sensor data (for example, smart meter readings)
media and entertainment data (for example, streaming content)
work, education, and skills data (for example, online learning platforms)
Conclusion
Social data has substantial potential to transform health and wellbeing research, but realizing this potential requires coordinated, sustained investment across multiple domains. This framework provides a roadmap for systematic development of the necessary infrastructure, capacity, and governance mechanisms. Success will depend on maintaining focus on foundational elements while building toward more ambitious innovations, always keeping community needs and ethical considerations at the center of efforts.
With appropriate investment and collaboration, initially to improve coordination and create space for experimentation in the use of these data, social data can become a cornerstone of evidence-based health research and intervention, ultimately improving health outcomes and reducing health inequities globally.
Recommendations
The report outlines four categories of recommendations to unlock the full potential of social data in health and wellbeing research.
These recommendations serve a dual purpose: first, as a roadmap for action and second, as a diagnostic tool to evaluate existing capacities, identify gaps and assess the maturity of the social data ecosystem in different jurisdictions. They outline actions for Wellcome as well as for the wider research ecosystem.
Data access, use and reuse: Establishing and advancing the critical technical, institutional, and governance foundations to improve access, use and reuse of social data.
Capacity and trust building: Improving coordination, skills, and confidence in social data research through a Social Data for Health Global Observatory.
Innovation and scaling: Supporting the design, testing and deployment of new methods, models, interventions and applications that unlock the value of social data across contexts.
Ecosystem transformation and funding: Aligning institutional incentives, funding models and field-building strategies to ensure long-term impact and sustainability.
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Contact us
If you have any questions about this report, please contact Wellcome's Discovery Research team.