Predicting international migratory movements using Google searches

[...] Migration has become one of the most important and most disputed issues in developed and developing countries alike. Traditional prediction models tend to be static and often perform poorly when it comes to detecting turning points in migration flows. Adding an index that reflects Google searches improves the accuracy of these methods.

Prediction based on keywords uses a free source of data that can help to facilitate migration research, especially in developing countries. Furthermore, the approach holds the promise of allowing short-term predictions. Information on migration flows tends to arrive with considerable delays that can be several years long. This new approach is especially promising with regard to delivering better results when studying countries or regions that have a relatively high internet penetration. [...]

Complete article