Online search behaviour is an understudied form of help-seeking for individuals experiencing gambling harm. The purpose of this project is to utilise a rich publicly accessible dataset for online searches (Google Trends) in conjunction with other data sources to investigate historical and developing patterns in searches for help with gambling-related harms across time and geographical regions. Broadly, the project aims to investigate three key aspects of online search behaviour: 1) Determine how individuals search for gambling related harm minimisation tools and treatment/support opportunities online. 2) Examine how this may vary across time or geographical regions. 3) Explore the extent to which online search data relates to, or predicts, other measures of gambling activity and harm. 

The project lead is Dr Sebastian Whiteford (School of Psychology) at Swansea University.