Tag: Social Policy

Social Policy
Six diverse people from behind wearing long coats, each dressed in one monoblock colour of the pride flag

Services for LGBQIA+ Youth

Dr Zuleyka Zevallos

October is LGBTQ History Month. Today we have a bonus post in honour of National Coming Out Day. Social science studies can help organisations implement meaningful change to improve services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) youth.

  • “Implement a social and emotional well-being approach... frequently adopted in Aboriginal research and health practice.”
  • Collage showing young people wearing the pride and trans flags on their clothing and painted on their faces, while standing at a march. Key points from research by Dingle and Anderson, as well as this quote: “...[S]chool-based sexuality education in Australia is profoundly non-inclusive, heteronormative, and cisnormative, failing to represent or meet the needs of LGBTQIA+ students.”
  • Collage of polaroids and photos of queer Aboriginal people marching at Mardi Gras in Sydney, as well as hugging and laughing. Aboriginal artwork depicts a meeting place with people represented by dots, circles, and u-shapes, as well as joining song lines, depicted by concentric circles and wavery lines. Recommendations from Liddelow-Hunt and colleagues, as well as this quote: “Implement a social and emotional well-being approach... frequently adopted in Aboriginal research and health practice.”
  • Collage showing a polaroid and another cutout photo of diverse queer people, and a drawing of the globe. Recs from the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network, plus this quote: “Implementing an action plan to ensure organisations hold themselves accountable to LGBTQIA+ refugee and asylum seeker inclusion policies, recruitment strategies and service delivery.”
  • Polaroid of a young white boy in a wheelchair with people playing in a park in the background, plus a cutout of a young white boy wearing the pride flag, and a graphic of a house. Recs from Lim and colleagues, plus this quote: “Experiences of homelessness appear to be particularly pervasive among youth who are: (i) trans and gender-diverse, (ii) disabled and (iii) who reside outside of urban centres.”
  • Polaroid of a Black woman's hands holding small pins with pride flags and slogans, as well as a cutout of six queer people from behind wearing long coats, each dressed in one colour of the pride flag. Another cutout shows two women of colour hugging, and holding a sign saying FREE [watermelon drawing] AND HUGS. Text says: Learn more: SocialScienceInsights.com. At the bottom is a list of references
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Social Policy
Two diverse groups of people sit and chat with their laptops open

Stakeholder Collaboration

Social Science Insights

The social sciences and humanities have diverse relevance to many sectors. The challenge lies in how to best communicate knowledge, and engaging effectively with stakeholders. Let’s look at how government and communities can best collaborate with social scientists.

  • Five diverse professionals (construction worker, business workers, and medics) stand together, smiling, with their arms folded. Title says: 6 Ways social science and humanities contribute to society
  • A globe showing the Americas sits against a grey background. Text describes the study by Dr Fecher and colleagues, involing 125 professionals, who say social science and humanities have strong societal application
  • A magnifying glass sits on a pink surface. Text says: explain: describe and contextualise issues
  • Arrows point diagonally from the left-hand-side, against a pink background. Text says: Reflect: discuss and interpret issues
  • A notebook, plant, tablet, and pencil lie in the corner of a yellow surface. Text says: Educate: build knowledge and skills
  • A traffic light with a red arrow pointing up hang high against a blue sky with a few clouds. Text says: Signal: unearth issues relevant to public discourse and policy-making
  • An arm pushes out from a hole in a red wall, holding binoculars. Text says: Foresee: predict potential problems in the fuure, such as the ethics of new technologies
  • A series of blocks with arrows point right and branch off in opposite directions, arranged in a sideways "Y." Text says: inform: influence ans support decision-making
  • A line of diverse people sit, smiling, with one arm and hand up in the air, as if volunteering. Text says: learn more about how social science helps soceity: SocialScienceInsights.com
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Social Policy
A white man's hand squeezes the pump as he fills his car with petrol

How to Stop Panic Buying

Social Science Insights

The war on Iran led to petrol shortages in early 2026. We look at structural issues and biases that impact this behaviour, and how social science theories, social norms, and morality messages may stop consumer hoarding in future.

  • A white man's hand pumps petrol into a car. Title: Social science of why people panic buy and how to stop it
  • Illustration of a green petrol pump on the bowser. Title: Poor policy planning
  • Illustration of a service station in the distance on a sunny day. Quote from Prof Tarryn Phillips, Dr Danielle Couch, and Dr Carmen Vargas: "We must continue to scrutinise fuel markets and disribution failures."
  • Illustration of a man with his fist covering his mouth and his other arm across his shape. He looks down, worried. Title: Fearing loss
  • Black and white illustration of a man and woman in silhouette against large arched windows. They look up and face away from each other, as if disagreeing. Title: misinformation feeds fear
  • Illustration of a young Asian woman hiding inside a large cardboard box, looking anxious. Title: Regain control
  • Illustration of two women in hijab walking outdoors with a Black South Asian man as they hold coffees. Title: blaming individuals doesn't help
  • A Black woman patient looks down, worried, as a white male doctor points at a device. Title: personalise the risk
  • A white woman smiles softly as she walks outdoors, and holds a paper heart over her chest. Title: appeal to morals
  • Illustration of a Black woman driving a car, smiling, with a male passanger beside her. Title: learn more: SocialScienceInsights.com
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Social Policy
Two white women and a man stand at the edge of a cliff. One of them points into the distancce while the other takes a photo with her phone

Measuring Public Information Campaigns

Social Science Insights

Social science can help marketers, decision-makers, and businesses to effectively use social norms to change behaviour. Below are two case studies on the environment and health.

  • Four diverse young workers sit around a table looking at documents and a laptop. Title reads: Measuring Public Information Campaigns
  • Four diverse people stand in a row looking at their phones, smiling, against an orange wall. Title reads: media campaigns
  • Two white women and a man stand at the edge of a cliff. One of them points into the distancce while the other takes a photo with her phone. Title reads: E.g. Environment
  • A diverse group of young women stand indoors in a tight circle, laughing
  • A group of Black women in hijab laugh while sitting in two rows. One of them fixes her friend's hijab
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Business
A group of five people run on a bridge against a stormy sky

Using Social Norms to Change Behaviour

Social Science Insights

Social norms are the unwritten rules of acceptable behaviour that motivate us to follow social expectations. Social science shows how norms can be used to positively change behaviour.

  • A diverse group of friends sit in a cinema eating popcorn, with shocked and amused expressions. Title reads: Using norms to change behaviour
  • A Latin man holds a piece of glass in his hand, which reflects his stern gaze. Title reads: what are social norms
  • A group of five people run on a bridge against a stormy sky. Title reads: Descriptive norms
  • A white woman holds her hand out as if saying, 'Stop'
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Social Science in Action

Law of the Journey

Social Science Insights

Taking a look back at Ai Weiwei’s exhibition at the Biennale of Sydney, 2018. The work is called, ‘Law of the Journey, 2017.’ It tackles Ai Weiwei’s ongoing critique of European nations denying basic human rights to refugees.

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Social Policy
A silhouetted people walk down a hill, following one person in the lead

How to Encourage Community Change

Social Science Insights

How can you use social science to encourage communities to change collective behaviours? We cover how to identify a behaviour that needs to change, how to target the key audience, how to encourage change, and the best mode of communication to reach the intended community. The provided check list will help you communicate effectively with local communities.

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Business

How to Improve Record-Keeping

Social Science Insights

Organisations can improve their record-keeping by adopting a systematic approach, and using techniques developed through social science research. Discover tips for small businesses and not-for-profit organisations on how to document important decisions, understanding legal obligations, and keeping records safe.

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Social Policy

Encouraging Referrals

Social Science Insights

This post provides tips for improving public health communications. I show examples from studies that encouraged doctors to comply with health guidelines. I discuss a case study of a health organisation that sought to increase patient referrals to a free treatment program.

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Business
A young Asian girl is reading a magazine

Reaching Your Audience

Social Science Insights

I reflect on how to tell a good story that takes into consideration different social groups, inequity, and power relations. I also provide tips about how to measure the impact of a good story.

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