SRC is an international leader in interdisciplinary social science research involving the collection and analysis of data, especially data from scientific sample surveys. SRC conducts some of the most widely cited and influential studies in the world. SRC also advances the scientific method of social research through teaching and training.

 

SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES

 

RESEARCH

SRC research faculty specialize in cutting-edge theory and research on key questions facing society including: retirement, aging, health disparities, poverty, teacher effectiveness, substance abuse, fertility and families, the effectiveness of interventions on drug use, and the role of social networks over the life course.

SRC's long-running surveys, such as the Survey of Consumer Attitudes, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, the Monitoring the Future Study, and the Health and Retirement Study, have become national resources for social research and policy. The Panel Study of Income Dynamics is the only social science project included in the National Science Foundation's listing of the Nifty Fifty (50 top research projects in NSF history). These ongoing panel studies offer the opportunity for outside clients, including corporations and research institutes, to pose their own questions regarding public attitudes and behavior.

SRC is also home to some of the world's leading programs of research on the methods of social research. These scientists actively advance research on social science data creation and data analysis.

SRC is draws on its rich history to assist other countries in building social science research, education, and infrastructure capacity worldwide.

 

SURVEY RESEARCH OPERATIONS

SRC is devoted to original measurement in the social sciences and contains the largest survey methodology and data collection capability of any academic social science research organization, providing measurement facilities to SRC's scientists and a wide range of external clients, from federal agencies to individual university researchers to small, non-profit organizations.

SRC's operations unit offers a "best science" approach to social science research. This unit provides cutting-edge study design, data collection, and data processing services for national data collection as well as small-scale, regional studies.

 

TEACHING AND TRAINING

SRC houses an interdepartmental program in survey methodology, serving the nation to supply the next generation of survey statisticians and methodologists.

SRC's Summer Institute offers rigorous training in state-of-the-art survey research methodology and practices to a wide range of students from across the globe, the social sciences, and professions. 

 

Research Themes

Aging & Retirement	Methodology
Economic Behavior	Obesity
Education	Population Health
Environment	Poverty & Inequality
Family Demography	Social Psychology
Human Development and Life Course Studies	Substance Abuse