Federal Data Users

In the president's proposed budget, deep cuts to the National Science Foundation don't just reduce funding. They hit the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, which is the primary federal source for research on how people think, decide, and respond.

For this community, that has direct implications.

SBE is not abstract. It underpins the methods, theories, and empirical work that allow us to measure public opinion, understand nonresponse, interpret behavior, and design data collection that reflects how people actually engage with surveys.

At the same time, we are seeing increased investment in AI, automation, and data infrastructure. Important investments. Necessary ones. But there is a real tension here. You can build more efficient systems for data collection and analysis without fully understanding the human behaviors that drive response, trust, and data quality.

We already know how this plays out.

Mode effects. Declining response rates. Coverage challenges. Misinformation and trust dynamics. These are not technical problems alone. They are fundamentally about people.

Social and behavioral research is what allows us to diagnose those issues and adapt. It is what makes the rest of the system work.

This is not about choosing between advancing technology and supporting social science. It is about maintaining the balance that allows both to be effective.

Right now, we are tilting toward capability and away from understanding.

That's a risky place to be for a field built on measuring and interpreting human attitudes, behaviors, and trust. 

Michael 

Michael Link Leadership Consulting