survey research

New research from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council indicates that mainland Chinese enterprises are increasingly adopting comprehensive global business strategies. The survey shows these companies are targeting both advanced economies and emerging markets as they expand internationally, a shift observers see as a sign of growing maturity and ambition among Chinese firms operating abroad.

Environmental activists have occupied a research vessel following a mineral survey conducted off the coast of New Zealand. The action comes in protest against seabed exploration activities in the region, which campaigners say threaten fragile marine ecosystems. Details about the vessel's operator, the number of protesters involved, and whether authorities have responded remain limited.

Researchers are testing small robotic telescopes and have identified design changes that could lead to better maps of galaxies. The findings suggest that refining these compact instruments could improve large-scale astronomical surveys, helping scientists chart the universe in greater detail. Details of the testing process and specific modifications were reported by Phys.org.

A newly reported giant stick insect was misidentified by scientists for decades, only now being recognised as a distinct species. The insect's remarkable size and appearance allowed it to evade proper classification, highlighting how much biodiversity remains undocumented even among large, conspicuous insects. Researchers say the case underscores the need for continued field surveys and careful re-examination of museum specimens.

A new survey examines how deep reinforcement learning is being applied to manage Internet of Things systems, where devices must constantly balance competing demands such as energy use, network traffic and resource allocation. By learning from trial and error, AI agents can adapt these decisions in ways fixed rules cannot. The review consolidates recent research and highlights both progress and open challenges in the field.

Researchers have published a review in Nature examining advances in amidases and urethanases as depolymerization biocatalysts. The work surveys how these enzymes can break down synthetic polymers, a key step in chemical recycling of plastics. Interest in enzyme-based depolymerization is growing as industries look for biological alternatives to conventional plastic waste treatment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have published the public-use files from the 2025 National Health Interview Survey, making the nation's largest in-person household health survey data available to researchers, policymakers and the public. The release allows analysis of health status, insurance coverage, access to care and health behaviours across the US population for the year.

New survey findings indicate that Alaskans are growing more negative in their views of the economy and of President Trump, according to Navigator Research. The polling suggests cooling sentiment in the state on economic conditions and on the president's performance more broadly. The results add to a wider picture of shifting public opinion on the economy heading into the current political season.

Researchers in the Wilmington, North Carolina area spent three nights field-surveying bats, working after dark to locate and monitor the animals across the region. The work points to ongoing efforts to understand local bat populations, which matter for insect control and ecosystem health, and the unusual nighttime effort is drawing local attention.

TDI-Brooks, a US-based scientific research company, will carry out an environmental baseline survey in waters off Timor-Leste. The survey will gather data on the state of the marine and coastal environment, providing a reference point for future environmental monitoring and offshore activity in the area. Details on timing and scope remain limited, but the announcement is drawing attention from those following offshore development and conservation in the region.

A new Pew Research Center study finds that people in a growing number of countries believe social media is bad for democracy. The survey, covering publics around the world, shows increasing shares of respondents saying platforms divide societies, spread misinformation and weaken democratic institutions, marking a shift in global public opinion toward greater skepticism about technology's political impact.

A new survey by Talker Research, picked up by outlets across the United States, finds that the average traveler loses close to $2,500 to travel mishaps. The figure covers common problems such as missed connections, lost luggage and other costly disruptions, highlighting how expensive unexpected setbacks have become for holidaymakers.

A newly reported scientific effort is shedding light on the ocean's 'deep reefs' — little-known coral and rocky ecosystems lying in dim waters beyond the reach of typical diving surveys. Researchers are using advanced exploration methods to document what lives there and how these hidden habitats function, as interest grows in protecting deep-sea environments.

Researchers have compiled a catalog of mitochondria across the tree of life, uncovering unusual functions of the organelles in different organisms. The survey suggests mitochondria, best known for producing energy, carry out a far wider and more varied set of roles across species than previously appreciated, offering new leads for evolutionary biology and cell research.

New research from consulting firm Eagle Hill finds that more than half of organizational leaders say their recent technology investments failed to achieve the outcomes they intended. The findings point to a gap between spending on new tools and actual business results, raising questions about how companies plan, implement and measure technology adoption.

A survey has been launched on adapting the Diamond Open Access Standard (DOAS) across French higher education and research. It is open to anyone working at a university, library, research institute, publishing platform or publishing organisation, and invites respondents to share how the standard could be applied to their work. The initiative is drawing attention among open access advocates and academic publishing staff in France.

China has launched a domestically developed deep-sea robot capable of operating at depths of around 14,764 feet in the South China Sea. The vehicle is intended for deep-sea exploration and survey work, and the deployment is being reported as a demonstration of China's advancing homegrown underwater robotics and ocean research capabilities.

A report argues that NASA has underfunded its Research and Analysis program for roughly 15 years, leaving science portfolios short of the levels recommended by past decadal surveys and agency guidance. Scientists say the sustained shortfall has squeezed grants, delayed analysis of mission data and weakened the research base that supports future space science.

A new research vessel, Azores Ocean, has been introduced for deep-sea and fisheries survey work off Portugal. The boat is designed to support marine research and fisheries assessment in waters around the Azores, adding capacity for oceanographic and stock-monitoring missions in the Atlantic.

The CDC is redesigning its annual national health survey and has removed questions about disabilities in the process. According to STAT's report, the change means the flagship federal survey will no longer track disability status in the same way. Disability advocates and health researchers are likely to raise concerns that the change will make it harder to measure health gaps affecting Americans with disabilities.

The US Geological Survey's research on how wildfire-scarred watersheds respond hydrologically and to erosion is drawing attention. Burned landscapes repel water, boosting runoff, flooding and debris flows while stripping soil. With wildfires intensifying across the American West, the findings matter for reservoirs and water suppliers such as Denver Water, whose Gross Reservoir depends on forested catchments.

The Pew Research Center reports that artificial intelligence cannot reliably replace human respondents in surveys, despite growing interest in using AI models to simulate public opinion. The finding challenges suggestions that large language models could stand in for real people when gathering social and political data, reinforcing that human participation remains essential for accurate survey research.

A new survey indicates that AI tools have become a routine part of daily life for many people in Germany, though adoption varies clearly by age group. The same research on media habits finds that more than half of Germans use public broadcaster streaming services, while YouTube and Spotify remain the dominant platforms for video and audio streaming across all generations.

Pew Research Center has published new analysis on synthetic respondents, AI-generated stand-ins for human survey participants, focusing on how confidently they express certainty and report factual knowledge. The work examines whether simulated respondents behave like real people when asked knowledge-based questions. Researchers and polling analysts are weighing what the findings mean for the reliability of AI-generated data as a substitute for traditional surveys.

Pew Research Center is publishing work on how well synthetic samples, generated with AI, replicate real public opinion. The research tests whether artificially produced survey respondents can match results from genuine samples, a question of growing urgency as pollers weigh cheaper synthetic alternatives. Researchers are scrutinising accuracy, bias and reliability, with implications for survey firms, campaigns and social scientists who depend on representative public opinion data.

Pew Research Center has published work on synthetic surveys, exploring how artificially generated survey respondents perform when asked 'timely and topical' questions. The piece weighs whether AI-produced respondents can substitute for real ones on fast-moving news topics, a growing concern for pollsters as synthetic data becomes cheaper and more widely used.

Pew Research Center is examining how well synthetic polls, which use artificial respondents generated by AI models, reflect the true diversity of public opinion. The analysis looks at whether these simulated surveys can stand in for traditional polling and how accurately they mirror real differences across demographics and viewpoints. The topic is drawing attention as pollsters weigh the promise and risks of AI-generated survey data.