Meaning: 8-item index measuring the diversity of information sources used by the average individual in a nation.
Source: Index invented and documented in Welzel, Freedom Rising (2013: 79), www.cambridge.org/welzel (Online Appendix, p. 29-30), based on data from the World Values Surveys, countries from rounds five and six.
Scaling: Multi-point index, ranging from a theoretical minimum of 0, when not a single one of the eight information sources has been used ``last week'', to a maximum of 1.0, when all eight sources were used. Intermediate positions are measured in fractions of 1. Country scores are population averages (arithmetic mean) on the 0-1 index.
Remarks: Individual-level scores are normally distributed around the mean in each national sample. In Freedom Rising's (2013) human empowerment framework, informational connectedness is interpreted as connective empowerment.