Social Studies

As members of the public increasingly turn to AI chatbots to understand their world, even subtle latent biases in the underlying models could affect public understanding of the present—and past.... Read more

Australians routinely encounter misinformation in their everyday online lives, and it's not just limited to politics or pandemics, according to new research in collaboration with QUT's Digital Media Research Center. The study, "Everyday encounters with misinformation online: examining sources, topics and modes," has been published in Information, Communication & Society.... Read more

Hairdressers across the UK are emerging as powerful, under-recognized influencers in tackling climate change, according to new research from academics at the University of Bath's Center for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST), and the Universities of Cardiff, Oxford and Southampton.... Read more

In an era of climate anxiety, geopolitical tensions and rapidly advancing artificial intelligence, apocalyptic thinking is no longer confined to the fringes of society, according to new research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.... Read more

In their piece, published in Nature Human Behaviour, IIASA Distinguished Emeritus Research Scholar Wolfgang Lutz and IIASA Senior Researcher Guillaume Marois, who is also an associate professor at the Asian Demographic Research Institute of the Shanghai University, respond to political and public concern over declining birth rates in highly developed... Read more

Social media users consider it "normal" to encounter online hate speech on social media and see it as part of the online environment. In certain contexts, they find it more normal than in others; for example, when it concerns prominent figures such as policymakers and content creators. However, they do... Read more

New York state farmers who signed large-scale solar leases were three times more likely to say they'll use the revenue from solar to invest in their farms than to reduce operations, according to a new study. Nearly half of the farmers with leases said they did not plan to change... Read more

A survey of nearly 6,000 UK households warns of a sharp increase in those aged 40–59 years using buy-now-pay-later loans (BNPL). These loans are currently accessed by 18% of UK households (up from 15% in May 2025) and while BNPL use is highest among younger households, growth has been fastest... Read more

Young adulthood—that pivotal period of time around the ages of 17 and 18—often brings a series of firsts: first time living away from home, first love, and, for many in the Western world, the decision to have sex for the first time. Research has established that experiences in this critical... Read more

New research led by James Cook University psychology lecturer Dr. Chae Rose suggests that whether speeding is reduced by deterrence or self-control depends not only on drivers' own views about speeding, but on how those views interact with the environments they drive in.... Read more

An office job calls for a "fast-paced, fit and energetic" person who can "stand out" in a crowd. How likely are you to apply? A new University of Guelph study, led by Dr. Melissa Walker as part of her Ph.D., says that more neutral language might be key to drawing... Read more

What do you envision when you think of meekness? You probably see a mousy doormat, someone sheepishly acquiescing to the will of the stronger. When Jesus says, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth," you might think that those wimps will hand it over without a whimper... Read more

Artificial intelligence is rapidly making intellectual work and social interaction easier, but that ease may come at a substantial psychological cost, according to researchers from the University of Toronto. In an article published in Communications Psychology, the authors argue that AI's greatest strength, namely removing friction from work and relationships,... Read more

While the number of Californians ages 12 and older who said they experienced a hate act increased in 2024, a new UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) study showed how someone's likelihood to experience a hate act was associated with race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual identity, disability and housing... Read more

Will humanity extend into the far future? It's likely many of us think it should. The problem is that each of us, individually and collectively, act otherwise—we are destroying the environment and climate at every turn. Now a group of scientists is arguing that civilization needs to specifically and systematically... Read more