His impact was mainly in the form of political cartoons rather than written references, which are not captured by pamphlet citations.

European newspapers lauded Rousseau far more than colonial pamphlets did, skewing the data toward European influence.

His critiques of divine right were confined to intellectual elites and thus are overcounted, giving a false sense of marginal influence.

Rousseau’s ideas were often transmitted through private correspondence and salons rather than printed pamphlets, so citation counts underrepresent his reach.