People and Society | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation
Source: https://www.nsf.gov/focus-areas/people-society
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:34
People and Society | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation
People and Society
Illuminating what makes us human.
View image credit & caption
We support research on human behavior and social organizations and how social, economic, political, cultural and environmental forces affect people's lives.
We aim to:
Deepen our understanding of the human experience — how we think, learn and interact.
Determine how fresh insights into human behavior can fuel innovations in technology.
Explore patterns of stability and change to make society more secure and prosperous.
Studying the fundamental principles of human behavior has far-reaching implications, from identifying critical periods in child development to safeguarding the nation's troops, from exploring the origins of humankind to securing cyberspace, from understanding how the brain forms memories to how to get home with GPS.
Find funding for social, behavioral and economic research
Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
What we support
Research on the brain and behavior
We support research in psychology, linguistics, anthropology and geography, including where humans came from, how the brain develops and learns, and how societies of the past lived.
Visit the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences
Research on society and economics
We invest in the study of how societies, organizations and economies function, including how decisions are made and how scientific and technological progress are pursued.
Visit the Division of Social and Economic Sciences
Understanding the state of U.S. science and engineering
We collect and report data on the science and engineering workforce, U.S. competitiveness in science and technology and the progress of STEM education.
Visit the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics
Broadening participation in the social sciences
We support research, training and infrastructure at minority-serving institutions and research on broadening participation in STEM education and the workforce.
Visit the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities
Promoting ethical research conduct
We support research and training on the responsible conduct of research across scientific disciplines.
Visit the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities
Related topics
Artificial intelligence
Biotechnology
Communications and wireless
Cyberinfrastructure and advanced computing
Cybersecurity
Disaster risk and resilience
Understanding the brain
Wildland fire
Featured news
NSF News
September 18, 2025
NSF selects 15 finalists to advance to the next round of its second Regional Innovation Engines competition
NSF News
September 15, 2025
NSF invests $6.2 million in EPSCoR Research Fellows
Science Matters
August 13, 2025
HeartFlow's AI-powered medical technology debuts on Nasdaq
Explore news about people and society
Educational resources
View lesson plans, activities and multimedia for K–12 audiences that focus on exploring what makes us human.
View the resources
Top
People and Society
Illuminating what makes us human.
View image credit & caption
We support research on human behavior and social organizations and how social, economic, political, cultural and environmental forces affect people's lives.
We aim to:
Deepen our understanding of the human experience — how we think, learn and interact.
Determine how fresh insights into human behavior can fuel innovations in technology.
Explore patterns of stability and change to make society more secure and prosperous.
Studying the fundamental principles of human behavior has far-reaching implications, from identifying critical periods in child development to safeguarding the nation's troops, from exploring the origins of humankind to securing cyberspace, from understanding how the brain forms memories to how to get home with GPS.
Find funding for social, behavioral and economic research
Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
What we support
Research on the brain and behavior
We support research in psychology, linguistics, anthropology and geography, including where humans came from, how the brain develops and learns, and how societies of the past lived.
Visit the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences
Research on society and economics
We invest in the study of how societies, organizations and economies function, including how decisions are made and how scientific and technological progress are pursued.
Visit the Division of Social and Economic Sciences
Understanding the state of U.S. science and engineering
We collect and report data on the science and engineering workforce, U.S. competitiveness in science and technology and the progress of STEM education.
Visit the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics
Broadening participation in the social sciences
We support research, training and infrastructure at minority-serving institutions and research on broadening participation in STEM education and the workforce.
Visit the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities
Promoting ethical research conduct
We support research and training on the responsible conduct of research across scientific disciplines.
Visit the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities
Related topics
Artificial intelligence
Biotechnology
Communications and wireless
Cyberinfrastructure and advanced computing
Cybersecurity
Disaster risk and resilience
Understanding the brain
Wildland fire
Featured news
NSF News
September 18, 2025
NSF selects 15 finalists to advance to the next round of its second Regional Innovation Engines competition
NSF News
September 15, 2025
NSF invests $6.2 million in EPSCoR Research Fellows
Science Matters
August 13, 2025
HeartFlow's AI-powered medical technology debuts on Nasdaq
Explore news about people and society
Educational resources
View lesson plans, activities and multimedia for K–12 audiences that focus on exploring what makes us human.
View the resources
Top