Society

A lack of data on prisoner characteristics is providing an incomplete picture of who dies in prison and why, which may be contributing to preventable deaths in custody, according to a new report.... Read more

He tramples things without intending to. He was created by us. He never permanently goes away. In recent years, metaphorical representations of Donald Trump as the Japanese kaiju Godzilla have become common. Now, a paper published in De Gruyter Brill's The Forum argues that the Showa period Godzilla films (1954–75)... Read more

Shoppers would pay more for their weekly groceries if it meant improved welfare for farm animals, according to new research from the University of Reading.... Read more

Why do some people who embrace conspiracy theories simply hold those beliefs, while others act on them? A new study published in the British Journal of Social Psychology identifies three characteristics that help determine when conspiracy beliefs are most likely to shape real-world behavior: how certain people are that the... Read more

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is regaining prominence in climate policy debates in Germany. A study published in Environmental Politics examines the reasons behind this comeback and shows that the strict limits originally envisaged for CCS were progressively relaxed throughout the political process. This increases the risk that the lifespan... Read more

Supporters of losing parties express more distrust of their fellow citizens after elections than do supporters of winning parties, a new study has found, with voters who more strongly disliked rival parties showing even greater distrust.... Read more

Interviews with political activists in Southern California showed stark differences in how migrants are viewed: either "like us" and deserving of rights or lawbreakers undeserving of social belonging and benefits.... Read more

An SKKU research team led by Professor Travers B. Child of the SKK Graduate School of Business (SKK GSB) has become the first in the world to use micro-level data to demonstrate that aid fragmentation—the phenomenon in which numerous international aid agencies operate simultaneously in a single region—can deepen administrative... Read more

The actions of big business shape public health, so local authorities need to carefully consider how to govern their relationships with them.... Read more

In the increasingly polarized political realm, moderates may be viewed as disloyal by both conservatives and liberals when the opposing side seems threatening, according to research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.... Read more

A new study has found that mass shootings and deaths by suicide in the United States share seasonal patterns, reaching their highest levels during summer months. Analyzing national data spanning 2014–2021, researchers observed consistent summertime peaks in both mass shootings and suicide deaths, suggesting that common environmental, behavioral or biological... Read more

Puerto Ricans share deep skepticism toward elected officials and a widespread sense of limited self-governance, according to a new study from the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research and the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras.... Read more

Bureaucracy moves slowly, and decades of outdated provisions clogging the bylaws of cities and states only make it worse. Sometimes dubbed "policy sludge," such obsolete processes and stale reporting requirements can trap civil servants in red tape and cause program dysfunction.... Read more

Researchers at the University of Huddersfield have developed a new theoretical framework exploring whether social media recommendation systems may contribute to the amplification of narcissistic traits over time.... Read more

In January 2025, the Trump administration announced a 90-day freeze on all United States government (USG) foreign aid, which subsequently became a permanent shutdown of USAID in July 2025. New research finds that the abrupt cessation of foreign aid disrupted health and humanitarian systems worldwide, with disproportionate impacts on women,... Read more

Positive crowd reactions like applause and laughter can make controversial political messages more acceptable to viewers, according to new research by psychologist Dr. Carl Senior at Aston University. The research suggests that how broadcasters and content creators use applause, laughter and booing can subtly shape public perceptions of populist figures... Read more

Social networks, intended to bring people together, can actually increase polarization, new research finds, because while the links in the network may be plentiful, they're probably weak. A research team including Cornell sociologist Michael Macy has found that while the growing number of international contacts enabled by modern communications technologies... Read more

Droughts have an immediate negative impact on agricultural production, but they can also trigger institutional and cultural transformations that help make societies more resilient to environmental crises. This is the main conclusion of the article "Climate shocks, democratization and (a culture of) cooperation," published in the journal Economica by economists... Read more

Recent U.S. Supreme Court terms have seen justices openly accuse one another of rewriting statutes, ignoring precedent and substituting policy preferences for law. Whether in disputes over presidential immunity, administrative power, nationwide injunctions or transgender rights, justices have demonstrated that they aren't afraid to challenge one another's reasoning.... Read more

A new paper published in Global Strategy Journal develops a geopolitical-economic order framework suggesting that the extent of geopolitical competition incentivizes states to create one of two types of economic order: a market-based order built on laissez-faire and mutually beneficial voluntary exchanges, and a state-based order focused on state power... Read more

Bigamy has been a rare crime during the past 400 years—and offenders have been harshly punished. It seems likely that no more than 30,000 individuals have ever been tried for bigamy in England and Wales during this period. Most have been convicted, and possible punishment has ranged from execution, branding,... Read more

As generative artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in translation, questions have been raised about whether it could eventually replace professional interpreters. A joint study led by Lingnan University found that while AI can improve translation efficiency, it is still less capable than professional interpreters at adapting language to context... Read more

Increases to the standard federal tax deduction implemented in 2018 were made permanent a year ago, and researchers are beginning to understand the downstream effects on state and local governments. The increased deduction meant many taxpayers received a bigger tax break by taking the standard deduction instead of itemizing their... Read more

Flying abroad for a summer vacation is not as simple as it used to be. Geopolitical uncertainty has already disrupted flight schedules and fuel prices this year. For many, staying closer to home will seem like a sensible option. And in the U.K., warmer summers could also make staycations much... Read more

A new study by University of Delaware professor Jarett Haley and others explored how racially minoritized graduate students understood the impacts of proposed or enacted state anti–diversity, equity and inclusion (anti-DEI) laws on their experiences in racial/ethnic graduate student organizations at public historically and predominantly white institutions.... Read more

"Guardrails" built by the EU to govern AI fall short in both ambition and execution and have become too heavy to absorb rapid changes in technology, a new study in Big Data & Society warns.... Read more

It is no surprise that there are political disagreements over climate protection measures. Parties differ in their assessments of which measures they consider effective, fair or economically acceptable. However, the question of whether climate change is mainly human-caused is not a matter of political preference but a well-documented scientific fact.... Read more

Since the early 1970s, when the Nixon administration launched the "war on drugs," Gallup has been asking Americans how they feel about problems surrounding illicit drugs. But the war has not gone well and Gallup's surveys reflect the public's opinion on a drug crisis that has worsened over time.... Read more

Americans are dissatisfied with the state of leadership in the United States across several sectors—business, education, government and health care—a Harris poll showed in 2025. The survey raised a foundational question about developing the next generation of leaders: How can today's young people be encouraged to become CEOs, principals, directors... Read more

One of the most intractable, contentious and niche issues in U.S. politics has come back into the spotlight. This week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to make daylight saving time permanent in the United States.... Read more

The rare earths so essential to our modern technology have become a new diplomatic weapon—used to leverage influence and wield power, reshape global alliances, and exert economic dominance. For centuries, says Boston University historian Benjamin R. Siegel, opium was used in much the same way.... Read more

"On behalf of President Donald J. Trump," read 22 emails sent from the White House Presidential Personnel Office on Friday afternoon, April 24, 2026, "I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the National Science Board is terminated, effective immediately."... Read more

A physics-inspired model calibrated on 40 years of US congressional data pinpoints a spending threshold of roughly 1.8 million USD at which campaigns stop influencing who wins and start fueling polarization instead.... Read more

If you suffer from information overload, or are unsure what to trust online, you're not alone. Australians are increasingly disengaging from traditional news, turning instead to social media, influencers and—more recently—generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots and summaries.... Read more

Imagine that a government builds a five-star airport without any roads leading to it. The terminal is immaculate, the runway is regulation length—but there is simply no way to get there.... Read more

Over the past 50 years, nearly 4 in 10 peace agreements have failed within five years of signing. New research shows that when international partners help implement an accord, the odds improve—and the deeper their engagement, the better.... Read more

The idea that information should flow freely is deeply embedded in the design of social media. The assumption is that the more information is produced and shared, the better. However, simulations by a team of scientists including University of Groningen Professor of Artificial Intelligence Davide Grossi show that such an... Read more

Climate change has become entangled in partisan politics. In Canada, as in other countries, climate concern and support for climate policy are often coded as left-leaning positions. Meanwhile, climate change skepticism or denial is more likely to be espoused by those on the political right.... Read more

As female leaders continue to face heightened scrutiny in politics and public life, new research from Monash University reveals female candidates face distinct constraints in how they communicate with voters. The study is published in The Journal of Politics.... Read more

Researchers from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), in collaboration with international experts, have published a scientific study on how to ensure that the selection of committees and expert groups is mathematically fair and proportional, preventing significant minorities from being excluded. These findings could find applications in the political sphere,... Read more

The Supreme Court of Canada has described the right to refuse unwanted medical treatment as "fundamental to a person's dignity and autonomy, [including] in the context of treatment for mental illness."... Read more

With the NFL draft taking place in Pittsburgh and an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 people expected to attend the events downtown and on the North Shore, conversations about sex trafficking have resurfaced—as they often do when major events draw large crowds to a city.... Read more

In a comprehensive analysis of state and local sanctuary and anti-sanctuary policies, researchers have mapped the rapidly evolving legal immigration landscape in the US from 2000 to 2021. The dataset sheds light on trends in immigration legislation including "punitive" preemption, state government tendencies to enact laws that are ideologically opposed... Read more

The internet and social media platforms have given rise to a rising wave of misinformation, with many users now posting fake news, AI-generated photos or videos and other types of misleading content online. Over the past few years, this rise in misinformation has become a heated topic of debate, with... Read more

Past research has shown that even though science is commonly viewed as essential for effective policymaking, Democrats and Republicans cite different scientific research when creating policy—even when addressing the same topic. Now, a new Northwestern study analyzing congressional reports, hearings and think tank publications from around the country, has found... Read more

Over the past decades, the diffusion of fake news and other deceptive content on social media platforms has become a heated topic of debate. Some past studies have explored the broad impact of online misinformation, while others have tried to determine whether deceptive content influences voters during political elections.... Read more

The security of every nation faces an increasingly severe and frequent threat: disruptions to nature. According to Bradley J. Cardinale, professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, disrupted ecosystems can lead to increased risk for food security, water availability, health... Read more

Consumer trust in smart technologies—like Amazon's Alexa or Ring's video doorbells—may rely on more than just the technology. It may also depend on a person's political beliefs. New research from the University of New Hampshire found that where you are on the political spectrum may sway your decision to use... Read more

The relationships human societies have with animals aren't fixed, but vary according to era, culture, territory and customs.... Read more

Americans are more likely to turn to authoritarian leaders when jobs are being lost due to offshoring than they are when job losses result from automation, an international research team has found. This is despite the fact that automation tends to lead to greater job losses.... Read more