Douglas Yeung

@DouglasCYeung on Twitter

Senior Behavioral and Social Scientist; Faculty Member, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Santa Monica Office

Education

Ph.D. in psychology, Rutgers University; B.S. in management science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

One Page Bio

Overview

Douglas Yeung is a senior behavioral and social scientist at the RAND Corporation and a member of the Pardee RAND Graduate School faculty. His research has examined communication styles, behaviors, and mental health when using technology. His recent work has explored how policymakers can use insight from emerging technologies (e.g., social media, mobile devices) for well-being and civic policy-making. Yeung's other research involves online professional communities, and explores workforce attitudes, organizational knowledge-sharing, and how people discuss and seek career information. He has also conducted workforce diversity research, such as how minorities perceive career options and career development services.

Before coming to RAND, Yeung was a product analyst at Oracle, and also helped to create a mobile application that was a grand prize winner in Google's first Android Developer Challenge. He received a Ph.D. from Rutgers University - Newark, and a B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Research Focus

Selected Publications

Dong, Lu, Jennifer Bouey, Douglas Yeung, Peggy G. Chen, and Priya Gandhi, Addressing Anti-Asian Racism in the Era of COVID-19: Next Steps for a Research Agenda, RAND Corporation (RR-A1594-1), 2021

Yeung, Douglas, Inez Khan, Nidhi Kalra, and Osonde A. Osoba, Identifying Systemic Bias in the Acquisition of Machine Learning Decision Aids for Law Enforcement Applications, RAND Corporation (PE-A862-1), 2021

Douglas Yeung, Rebecca Balebako, Carlos Ignacio Gutierrez Gaviria, Michael Chaykowsky, Face Recognition Technologies: Designing Systems that Protect Privacy and Prevent Bias, RAND Corporation (RR-4226), 2020

Lim, Nelson, Sarah Michal Greathouse, and Douglas Yeung, "The 2014 Technology Summit for Victim Service Providers: Identifying Challenges and Possible Solutions," Fletcher Security Review, 6(1), 2014

Douglas Yeung, "How Can Social Media Catalyze Policy Action and Social Change for Health and Wellbeing?" Journal of Medical Internet Research, 20(3), 2018

Douglas Yeung, Astrid Stuth Cevallos, Attitudes Toward Local and National Government Expressed over Chinese Social Media: A Case Study of Food Safety, RAND Corporation (RR-1308), 2016

Yeung, D. & Gifford, B., "Potential Recruits Seek Information Online for Military Enlistment Decision Making: A Research Note," Armed Forces and Society, 2011

Harber, K.D., Yeung, D.C., & Iacovelli, A., "Psychosocial Resources, Threat, and the Perception of Distance and Height: Support for the Resource and Perception Model," Emotion, 2011

Commentary

The Internet

The 'Digital Town Square' Problem
Privately owned public spaces like Twitter are often viewed as “public town squares.” But it's unclear exactly how private companies' influence on the so-called public spaces they control affects actual civic outcomes.
Jan 13, 2023
San Francisco Chronicle
Health Information Technology

Digital Health Products Miss a Massive and Crucial Piece of a Person's Health
Our health is heavily influenced by our surroundings—including the health of the people around us. For digital health companies to credibly claim to improve people's health, their next step could be an increased willingness to look beyond an individualized notion of health and to work with public health agencies.
Dec 27, 2022
USA Today
Racial Discrimination

'Replacement Theory' Is a Danger to Us All
“Replacement theory” is woven into the very fabric of American society—and made all the more visible by the precipitous rise in hate crimes today. What can be done to reject and fight back against this zero-sum thinking?
Jul 8, 2022
The Mercury News
Biosurveillance

National Wastewater Tracking Could Help Us Stay Ahead of COVID-19—but Congress Cut the Funds
For years, medical experts have used wastewater to track the spread of diseases. The National Wastewater Surveillance System has the potential to significantly change the way we fight COVID-19 as well as future pandemics, bacterial diseases, and viruses. But building up the robustness of a wastewater surveillance system will take financial support, and it's not clear Congress will provide it.
Mar 24, 2022
San Francisco Chronicle
Racial Equity

The Health of Asian Americans Depends on Not Grouping Communities Under the Catch-All Term
Health data have historically lumped all Asian American people together, obscuring distinct health disparities and leaving vulnerable communities neglected by researchers and policymakers. What would be needed to construct a fuller representation of Asian American communities and their well-being?
Dec 13, 2021
NBC News THINK
Public Health

Tech Assets Might Help Make Public Health Data More Equity-Centered
The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified broad societal inequities and trained a spotlight on the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. public health system. What would more equity-centered, tech-engaged public health data look like?
Sep 9, 2021
Inside Sources
Asian Populations

Asian American Lives and Livelihoods Don't Just Deserve Our Qualified Support
Racism against Asian Americans is deeply rooted in the history of the United States. Enduring stereotypes about and bias towards Asian Americans, as well as lack of concern about them, have had long-standing harm on Asian American lives and livelihoods. What can the Asian American community and its allies do?
Mar 22, 2021
The RAND Blog
Cybercrime

Insider Threat at Twitter Is a Risk to Everyone
Three young hackers were charged in the hijacking of dozens of high-profile Twitter accounts. Their tactics point out how vulnerabilities at tech platforms can pose a risk to national security.
Aug 7, 2020
The RAND Blog
Emerging Technologies

Bans on Facial Recognition Are Naive. Hold Law Enforcement Accountable for Its Abuse
Broader police reform may be difficult to achieve. But in the long run, it will be more effective than any specific technology ban.
Jun 17, 2020
The Hill
Health Equity

Incarceration Rates: A Key Measure of Health in America
There's widespread agreement that incarceration has adverse effects on health and health equity, not just for prisoners but also for families and communities. That's one important reason why incarceration in the United States needs to be reduced.
Apr 3, 2020
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health blog
Artificial Intelligence

The Promise and Perils of AI: Q&A with Douglas Yeung
Douglas Yeung, a social psychologist at RAND, discusses how any technology reflects the values, norms, and biases of its creators. Bias in artificial intelligence could have unintended consequences. He also warns that cyber attackers could deliberately introduce bias into AI systems.
Feb 27, 2019
Data Breaches Could Cause Users to Opt Out of Sharing Personal Data. Then What?
As tech-based systems have become all but indispensable, many institutions might assume user data will be reliable, meaningful and, most of all, plentiful. But what if this data became unreliable, meaningless, or even scarce?
Dec 28, 2018
United Press International
Intentional Bias Is Another Way Artificial Intelligence Could Hurt Us
Conversations about unconscious bias in artificial intelligence often focus on algorithms unintentionally causing disproportionate harm to entire swaths of society. But the problem could run much deeper. Society should be on guard for the possibility that nefarious actors could deliberately introduce bias into AI systems.
Oct 22, 2018
Scientific American
Emerging Technologies

Using Wearable Fitness Devices to Monitor More Than Just Fitness
Manufacturers could reinvigorate the market for personal health devices by incorporating measures of health and well-being beyond step counts. Wearables could gauge a neighborhood's air quality, safety, or its level of social connectedness.
May 14, 2017
Scientific American
Health and Wellness Promotion

What 32 Million Tweets Tell Us About Health and the Twitterverse
Health-related posts and conversations on Twitter shed light on the public's views on obesity, exercise and fitness, safe sex, alcohol, and mental health. Will such discussion increase in communities where health and wellness programs are put in place?
Jan 26, 2017
The Health Care Blog
Health and Wellness Promotion

Expo Line Could Enhance Wellbeing in Santa Monica
On May 20, the long-awaited Metro Expo Line will begin service to Santa Monica. Viewing urban mobility as a key component of community wellbeing may be an instructive way to assess the impact of Expo and other infrastructure efforts.
May 6, 2016
Santa Monica Daily Press
Transportation Technology

When Public Trust in Corporations Is Shaken
The Volkswagen scandal comes at a time when the public's trust in both the automotive industry and tech companies is at risk. The level of public trust in an individual organization could end up burnishing — or infecting — an entire industry or new technology.
Oct 28, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
Military Intelligence

Loose Clicks Sink Ships: When Social Media Meets Military Intelligence
Social media updates can reveal military intelligence. But stopping a soldier from posting a geotagged tweet or Instagram photo presents challenges.
Aug 14, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
The Mountains Are High and the Emperor Is Far Away
Since September 22, tens of thousands of protesters have flooded the streets of Hong Kong, calling for universal suffrage in the 2017 chief executive election and the resignation of current Chief Executive Chun-ying Leung. When they took to Twitter to share their ideas and mobilize support, they revealed the profound disconnect that separates elements of Hong Kong society from their mainland counterparts.
Nov 11, 2014
Foreign Policy
Open Source Intelligence

The Insight of Twitter
Exploring how people use social media has provided useful insight into public opinion. This insight may be particularly valuable in countries where freedom of expression may be limited, for whom social media may serve as an important outlet, writes Douglas Yeung.
Oct 31, 2012
The RAND Blog

Publications

Report
Implementing Technology-Enabled Human Resources Capabilities in the U.S. Air Force: Insight from the Private Sector and Military Services
This report, one in a set aimed at helping the U.S. Air Force succeed in replacing its traditional human resources system with digital talent management systems, identifies steps to implement this technology and align skills with job requirements.
Dec 21, 2022
Journal Article
What Drives Health Mindset and Expectations in the United States?
Health mindset is a group of beliefs or assumptions that individuals hold about the causes of health and well-being. We examined associations between personal characteristics and experiences with health mindset.
Dec 21, 2022
Report
Defining and Measuring Civic Infrastructure
This report offers a framework for defining civic infrastructure, then presents measures that provide information to help monitor civic infrastructure across the nation, in individual states, in communities, and across diverse populations.
Nov 30, 2022
Journal Article
Has COVID-19 Changed How People Think About the Drivers of Health? If So, Does It Matter?
We assessed changes in health mindset associated with the COVID pandemic and found that respondents were more likely in 2021 than in 2018 to recognize social determinants of health. This is associated with greater openness to pandemic-control measures.
Nov 29, 2022
Journal Article
Equity as a Guiding Principle for the Public Health Data System
This article examines what it means to use equity as a guiding principle throughout the components and functions of a modern public health data system.
Sep 14, 2022
Journal Article
The Issues of Interoperability and Data Connectedness for Public Health
The article summarizes some of the challenges around data sharing and reuse and identifies where the technology and data sectors can contribute to fill current gaps to promote interoperability and data stewardship.
Sep 14, 2022
Journal Article
Technology and Data Implications for the Public Health Workforce
The article identifies where the technology and data sectors can contribute skills, expertise, and assets in support of innovative workforce models and augment the development of public health workforce competencies.
Sep 14, 2022
Journal Article
What Data Should Be Included in a Modern Public Health Data System
The article summarizes what data should be included in the public health data system and identifies where the technology and data sectors can contribute to fill current gaps to measure equity, positive health, and well-being.
Sep 14, 2022
Report
The Department of Homeland Security's Use of Emerging Technologies: Why Public Perception Matters
This Perspective explores how public perception can influence the success of government technology deployments, ways to assess public perception, and how government agencies might account for public perception across that deployment life cycle.
Mar 21, 2022
Report
Insider Threat and White-Collar Crime in Non-Government Organisations and Industries: A Literature Review
The authors describe recent literature on insider threats and white-collar crime in non-government organisations and industries and identify management strategies used to counter them, both internationally and in the Australian context.
Feb 16, 2022
Report
Addressing Anti-Asian Racism in the Era of COVID-19: Next Steps for a Research Agenda
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian Americans have faced a wave of anti-Asian racism and hate incidents. The authors assess knowledge gaps around such racism and associated acts of violence and propose possible solutions to address it.
Nov 30, 2021
Report
Perspectives on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Department of the Air Force
This Perspective summarizes organizational, managerial, and procedural insights that RAND Project AIR FORCE has provided to Department of the Air Force leaders in recent years on critical diversity and personnel challenges facing the department.
Nov 22, 2021
Journal Article
Transforming Public Health Data Systems: White Papers to Inform Commission
RWJF commissioned RAND to produce a series of white papers that describe the current landscape, emerging innovations, and opportunities for transforming and transitioning to a new public health data system.
Oct 20, 2021
Journal Article
COVID-19 Community Response: Emerging Themes Across Sentinel Communities
Since the onset of COVID-19, RAND researchers contributed to four reports on the impact and response in nine communities (Finney Co., Harris Co., Milwaukee, Mobile, San Juan Co., Sanilac Co., Tacoma, Tampa, and White Plains) and four cross-community reports.
Jul 14, 2021
Journal Article
Steps Towards Value-Aligned Systems
This paper argues for a more structured systems-level approach for assessing value-alignment in sociotechnical systems. We highlight how adopting a system perspective improves our ability to explain and address misbehaving algorithms better.
Mar 10, 2021
Report
Identifying Systemic Bias in the Acquisition of Machine Learning Decision Aids for Law Enforcement Applications
This Perspective describes ways the U.S. Department of Homeland Security can identify and address bias in law enforcement systems that use machine learning and how to prevent such bias at various points in the process of acquiring such systems.
Jan 21, 2021
Report
Advancement and Retention Barriers in the U.S. Air Force Civilian White Collar Workforce: Implications for Demographic Diversity
This report documents results of a study examining challenges that Air Force civilian women, racial/ethnic minorities, and individuals with disabilities may face in advancing to higher pay grades as well as factors influencing retention decisions.
Sep 3, 2020
Report
Corporate Knowledge for Government Decisionmakers: Insights on Screening, Vetting, and Monitoring Processes
The authors of this report interviewed human resources and security personnel in several corporate sectors to derive insights for the U.S. government into ways to screen, vet, and monitor personnel over time.
Aug 3, 2020
Report
Face Recognition Technologies: Designing Systems that Protect Privacy and Prevent Bias
In this report, the authors propose a heuristic with two dimensions -- consent status and comparison type -- to determine levels of privacy and accuracy in face recognition technologies. They also identify privacy and bias concerns.
May 14, 2020
Research Brief
How the U.S. Coast Guard Can Leverage Social Media and Enhanced Cell Phone Data to Improve Emergency Response
Researchers are helping the U.S. Department of Homeland Security understand how social media might be better leveraged for situational awareness—particularly location information—in U.S. Coast Guard response operations.
Mar 17, 2020
Report
U.S. Coast Guard Emergency Response and Disaster Operations: Using Social Media for Situational Awareness
Researchers are helping the U.S. Department of Homeland Security understand whether and how social media might be better leveraged for situational awareness in U.S. Coast Guard response operations.
Mar 17, 2020
Journal Article
Effective Game-Based Training for Police Officer Decision-Making: Linking Missions, Skills, and Virtual Content
This paper reports the result of a two-year pilot study that developed a framework for implementing low-cost, game-based, virtual reality technology for training police officers to improve their decision-making under stress.
2020
Report
The Role of Intellectual Property in U.S. Homeland Security
Researchers assessed intellectual property (IP) support at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its components and found underused opportunities but also issues that expose programs to substantial risk.
Sep 19, 2019
Report
Understanding Demographic Differences in Undergraduate Pilot Training Attrition
This report looks at demographic differences in U.S. Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training completion and presents challenges that women and racial and ethnic minorities might face in entering and completing the training.
Jul 19, 2018
Report
Toward an Initial Conceptual Framework to Assess Community Allostatic Load: Early Themes from Literature Review and Community Analyses on the Role of Cumulative Community Stress
Understanding extant stress levels within a community can help inform how it responds to acute or traumatic events. This report presents a framework that could be used to develop a concept for determining the allostatic load on a community.
Jun 29, 2018
Journal Article
Social Media as a Catalyst for Policy Action and Social Change for Health and Well-Being: Viewpoint
Social media and other emerging data sources are an important complement to traditional data sources and can help track and motivate policy actions to improve health and well-being.
May 22, 2018
Report
Addressing Barriers to Female Officer Retention in the Air Force
This report documents the results of a qualitative study designed to better understand the factors that female Air Force officers consider when deciding whether to remain in the active duty Air Force.
Apr 10, 2018
Report
Recruiting Policies and Practices for Women in the Military: Views from the Field
This report helps inform strategies to recruit women through the results of focus groups with recent recruits and recruiters.
Jun 28, 2017
Report
Are Current Military Education Benefits Efficient and Effective for the Services?
This research takes a mixed-methods approach to examine the effects of military education benefit programs on recruiting and retention-related outcomes, and to assess how the two largest education benefits may work together.
Jun 19, 2017
Report
Building a National Culture of Health: Background, Action Framework, Measures, and Next Steps
In 2013, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) began its Culture of Health initiative. To implement the primary Culture of Health outcome of improved population health, well-being, and equity, RWJF worked with RAND to develop an action framework.
Mar 11, 2016
Report
Searching for Information Online: Using Big Data to Identify the Concerns of Potential Army Recruits
This report assesses empirical applications of web search data and discusses the prospective value such data can offer Army recruiting efforts.
Mar 9, 2016
Report
Attitudes Toward Local and National Government Expressed over Chinese Social Media: A Case Study of Food Safety
This study of Chinese-language social media regarding food safety traces a preliminary road map to conduct such analysis, including a methodology for analyzing Chinese-language social media and a discussion of the inherent promises and limitations.
Mar 4, 2016
Report
Development of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Survey of Health Attitudes: Description and Top-Line Summary Data
This report describes the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's National Survey of Health Attitudes, part of the foundation's Culture of Health strategy. It describes the survey development and provides the survey text and summary statistics of the data.
Jan 21, 2016
Report
Improving Development Teams to Support Deliberate Development of Air Force Officers
This report examines the ways development teams assist Air Force officers with their professional development and assesses the future of these teams.
Nov 24, 2015
Report
Options for Department of Defense Total Workforce Supply and Demand Analysis: Potential Approaches and Available Data Sources
This report reviews approaches used in the private sector and government organizations to determine workforce supply and demand and describes data sources available to Department of Defense managers to support analysis from a total force perspective.
Dec 3, 2014
Report
The 2014 Technology Summit for Victim Service Providers: Identifying Challenges and Possible Solutions
Summarizes discussions and observations made at a national summit on leveraging technology to enable victims of crime to more quickly and effectively obtain the help they need.
Sep 17, 2014
Report
Information and Communication Technologies to Promote Social and Psychological Well-Being in the Air Force: A 2012 Survey of Airmen
This report presents the findings from an exploratory survey of 3,479 active-duty, guard, and reserve Airmen on their use of information and communication technology (ICT) and the association between ICT use and social and psychological well-being.
Aug 25, 2014
Infographic
Building Blocks for a Resilient City
This infographic illustrates how communities can withstand and recover from disasters by building resiliency.
Aug 18, 2014
Infographic
Road to Resilience: Building Stronger, More Sustainable Communities
This infographic illustrates how communities can become more resilient as they plan ahead for potential disasters.
May 23, 2014
Report
Developing Army Leaders: Lessons for Teaching Critical Thinking in Distributed, Resident, and Mixed-Delivery Venues
Evaluated the effectiveness of the Common Core -- the first phase of the U.S. Army's system for developing critical thinking skills in its officer corps -- and the extent of differences among distributed, resident, and mixed-delivery course venues.
Mar 3, 2014
Report
Spiritual Fitness and Resilience: A Review of Relevant Constructs, Measures, and Links to Well-Being
This report examines the relationship between spiritual fitness and resilience, using key constructs found in the scientific literature: a spiritual worldview, personal spiritual practices, support from a spiritual community, and spiritual coping.
Oct 3, 2013
Research Brief
Using Behavioral Indicators to Detect Potential Violent Acts
Provides an overview of research on how observable behavioral indicators might be used to detect potential violent attacks, such as by suicide terrorists or those laying improvised explosive devices.
Aug 23, 2013
Report
Using Behavioral Indicators to Help Detect Potential Violent Acts: A Review of the Science Base
Reviews the scientific literature relating to observable behavioral indicators that might, along with other information, help detect potential violent attacks, such as those by suicide terrorists or the laying of improvised explosive devices.
Jun 11, 2013
Report
Facilitating Information Sharing Across the International Space Community: Lessons from Behavioral Science
Based on a review of relevant research literature, this report examines ways to encourage the space community to share information that will help its members navigate increasing numbers of satellites and space debris.
May 2, 2013
Research Brief
Can Social Media Help Analyze Public Opinion? A Case Study of Iranian Public Opinion After the 2009 Election
Describes a methodology for analyzing public opinion and mood in closed societies, focusing on a case study that analyzed Iranian public opinion and mood as expressed over Twitter in the nine months following Iran's 2009 presidential election.
Oct 4, 2012
Report
Using Social Media to Gauge Iranian Public Opinion and Mood After the 2009 Election
Analyzes Iranian public opinion and mood as expressed over Twitter in the nine months following the 2009 election.
Jan 17, 2012
Report
New Tools and Metrics for Evaluating Army Distributed Learning
Develops and tests new tools and metrics to assess training and to document the impact of Army distributed learning courses at the program level.
May 9, 2011
Research Brief
Building Community Resilience to Disasters: A Roadmap to Guide Local Planning
Examines ways in which communities can improve their ability to withstand and recover from adversity.
Feb 22, 2011
Report
Building Community Resilience to Disasters: A Way Forward to Enhance National Health Security
Provides a roadmap for federal, state, and local leaders who are developing plans to enhance community resilience for health security threats and describes options for building community resilience in key areas.
Feb 22, 2011
Journal Article
Psychosocial Resources, Threat, and the Perception of Distance and Height: Support for the Resources and Perception Model
Psychosocial resources (such as optimism, coping style, sense of mastery or personal control) can moderate perception of threats, and different resources have similar effects.
2011
Report
Japanese Science and Technology Capacity: Expert Opinions and Recommendations
This report summarizes the views of 55 leading researchers in the United States, the European Union, Switzerland, and Russia regarding the competitiveness of Japanese research in 25 fields.
Mar 15, 2010
Draft
Understanding Community Resilience in the Context of National Health Security: A Literature Review
This review lays a foundation for upcoming analyses that will provide a working definition of community resilience, identify activities for building resilience, and offer associated metrics.
Jan 11, 2010
Draft
Potential Recruits Seek Information Online for Military Enlistment Decision-Making
Explores the influence of online communication on enlistment decision-making for potential recruits.
Aug 20, 2009

Multimedia

3:21

Santa Monica's Wellbeing Project
Sep 29, 2017