What is Social Science?
“Social and behavioral science” encompasses a collection of STEM disciplines engaged in the rigorous study of why and how humans behave as they do as individuals, groups and within institutions, organizations, and society. It often refers to the disciplines of and fields within anthropology, communication, criminology, demography, economics, geography, history, law, linguistics, political science, psychology, sociology, and statistics, as well as countless multidisciplinary subfields.
Why Support Social Science Research?
Federally-supported scientific research—including social and behavioral science research—provides an evidence base that policy makers can use to produce science-backed strategies for addressing issues of national importance, such as crime prevention, health care for the underserved, the safety of our troops, early childhood education, and improved efficiency of American businesses, to name a few.
Knowledge derived from social and behavioral science research has made our population healthier, our democracy fairer, our nation safer, and our economy stronger. But more still needs to be done—investment in social and behavioral science must continue to grow to yield benefits for the American people.
Learn More
About the Contributions of Social Science
Learn More
About the Contributions of Social Science
