UW News

Social science


February 27, 2024

Q&A: Decline in condom use indicates need for further education, awareness

Two red condom wrappers on a light purple background

New research from Steven Goodreau, University of Washington professor of anthropology, shows that condom use has been trending downward among younger gay and bisexual men over the last decade, even when they aren’t taking pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.


January 23, 2024

Report on Washington’s Extended Foster Care program shows successful ways to support more young adults

silhouette of a young person looking out a window

The state of Washington’s Extended Foster Care program — in which young adults ages 18-21 can continue to receive some support — could help even more people by expanding participation, providing greater flexibility in eligibility criteria, and extending benefits, according to a new report from the University of Washington.


January 5, 2024

Husky football players take their skills from the field to the classroom and beyond

Holly Barker, a University of Washington teaching professor of anthropology, and three current members of the UW football team — Ulumoo Ale, Makell Esteen and Faatui Tuitele — are studying how the skills they develop to maximize their chances of victory on the field have applications outside the stadium. Their work, which is ongoing, is showing that the research methods and analytical abilities of student-athletes are applicable in academic and research settings, as well as jobs in a variety of fields.


November 20, 2023

New research aims to reduce fatal bird collisions on campus

A dead bird lies on the pavement

A project in the UW College of Built Environments, led by researcher Judy Bowes, is examining how building architecture contributes to bird collisions, and the ways bird-safe glass and other designs can help address the problem.


October 10, 2023

“Ways of Knowing” Episode 2: Close Reading

“Dover Beach,” a poem by 19th century British writer Matthew Arnold, can be read as both a romantic lament and, as many scholars have concluded, a dark, existential commentary on the loss of religious faith.     Through close reading, a way of reading for insight, not information, University of Washington English Professor Charles LaPorte…


May 26, 2023

What’s in a name? Sometimes, the climate

By analyzing records from the U.S. Social Security Administration, two scientists at the University of Washington and Ohio University have discovered that the popularity of certain month and season names for girls varies by geographic region in the continental United States. The name April dominates monthly names in southern states where spring arrives early in the year. June is more popular in northern states where spring blooms later. Autumn is also more prevalent in the northern U.S., a region known for its brilliant fall foliage.


May 11, 2023

Parenting tips can reduce substance use in first-year college students

laptop, notebook and backpack on a desk

A handbook for parents of incoming college students, developed by researchers at Washington State University and the University of Washington, finds that use of the book helped improve family connections and moderate substance use.


February 8, 2023

Prosocial CEOs increase company value, stakeholder satisfaction

Empty black chairs around a table that has an open laptop on it.

New research from Weili Ge, professor of accounting at the University of Washington Foster School of Business, found that CEOs who engage in prosocial behavior — activities that primarily help others — are more likely to make decisions that benefit people and increase company value.


February 3, 2023

Q&A: The benefits and hazards of social media for teens

cell phone screen showing social media icons like Twitter and Facebook

Lucía Magis-Weinberg, a University of Washington assistant professor of psychology, explains how social media use can affect youth mental health.


November 21, 2022

Q&A: Managing Washington’s gray wolf population – through fear

gray wolf looking at the camera

Wolf management in Washington has been controversial. Rob Anderson, who obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Washington, explains the dynamic of managing a species through fear.


November 16, 2022

More US adults carrying loaded handguns daily, study finds

New research led by the University of Washington finds that the number of U.S. adult handgun owners carrying a loaded handgun on their person doubled from 2015 to 2019, and that a larger proportion of handgun owners carried handguns in states with less restrictive carrying regulations.


November 2, 2022

Infants less likely to contract COVID, develop severe symptoms than household caregivers

baby feet

In one of the first studies to explore how COVID-19 specifically affects older infants, researchers from the University of Washington and at institutions at four other locations in the Western and Southern U.S. found that the number of infected people in a household was the factor most closely linked with the infant’s likelihood of being infected.


August 29, 2022

Black-owned restaurants disproportionately impacted during pandemic

A new study led by the University of Washington uses cellphone location data to estimate the number of visits to Black-owned restaurants in 20 U.S. cities during the first year of the pandemic. The study finds that despite the “Black-owned” labelling campaign launched by companies such as Yelp, the number of visits to Black-owned restaurants dropped off after an initial spike and was inconsistent around the country.


July 19, 2022

Suicide prevention training for health care providers a first step in longer-term efficacy

doctor talking with patient

After Washington became the first state to require suicide prevention training for health care providers, the University of Washington worked with experts and organizations to develop the All Patients Safe program. A new study shows how All Patients Safe helped providers of all specialties learn how to identify and respond to patients at risk of suicide.


July 8, 2022

Sweetened beverage taxes produce net economic benefits for lower-income communities

Bottles and cans of soda on store shelves

New research led by University of Washington professors James Krieger and Melissa Knox found that sweetened beverage taxes redistributed dollars from higher- to lower-income households.


June 14, 2022

UW, Seattle Public Library, Seattle Public Utilities collaboration uses VR goggles to visualize sea level rise in Seattle

laser tool by riverside and aerial view of city

The Our Future Duwamish project, available to community groups through The Seattle Public Library, uses an Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headset to help viewers imagine rising seas from a vantage point along the South Seattle waterway.


June 10, 2022

Early investors can forecast future of startup companies

Coffee, laptops and notebooks on a table with people's hands

New research from Emily Cox Pahnke, University of Washington associate professor of management and organization, shows that early investors often predict the future of startup companies.


May 26, 2022

Seattle democracy vouchers increase donations, number of candidates in city elections

Two hands putting voting ballots in box

A new study from Alan Griffith, assistant professor of economics at the University of Washington, shows that Seattle’s democracy voucher program has increased the number of voters donating to city elections and the number of candidates in those elections.


May 23, 2022

Social cohesion found to be key risk factor in early COVID infections

motorcyclist rides along San Francisco neighborhood street

A study by the University of California, Irvine, and the University of Washington shows how social connectedness in San Francisco neighborhoods was associated with COVID-19 infection rates.


May 19, 2022

Q&A: Why discriminatory bias is a public health problem

Tony Greenwald, emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Washington and creator of the Implicit Association Test, explains how public health strategies can help address unintended discrimination.


May 13, 2022

‘Resistance Through Resilience’: Conference highlights compassion-based practices to interrupt racism

Advertisement for conference with raised fist in background

The seventh annual Center for Communication, Difference and Equity Conference, “Resistance Through Resilience,” will be held in collaboration with the University of Washington Resilience Lab.


May 12, 2022

Smokers who switch to e-cigarettes may adopt other healthy routines

bicyclists riding on a hillside at sunset

A University of Washington study of adult smokers finds that those who switch to vaping some or all of the time may adopt other healthy behaviors.


April 28, 2022

New meta-analysis examines link between self-harm and stress

A new, University of Washington-led meta-analysis finds that people engage in self-injury and/or think about suicide to alleviate some types of stress; and that there is potential for therapy and other interventions.


April 7, 2022

UW documentary chronicles story of tree poacher accused of starting 2018 fire

Justin Wilkes looks up at trees with his back to the camera

A new documentary from University of Washington professors Lynn M. Thomas and Daniel Hoffman tells the story of a man accused of starting a wildfire while illegally removing trees from the Olympic National Forest.


March 30, 2022

Video: New face mask guidance for UW’s 2022 spring quarter

With the start of spring quarter on March 28, face masks became optional — but still recommended — inside most UW facilities. In light of the policy change, UW News spoke with several experts about what to expect on campus, how the current science and transmission rates inform our policy, and emotions and feelings we may experience as a result of removing our face coverings.


March 15, 2022

UW professor’s new book presents opportunity to ‘rethink housing’

Seattle buildings at sunset

A new book by Gregg Colburn, assistant professor of real estate at the UW, explores the factors that drive homelessness, and the cultural and economic shift that can ultimately benefit all — housed and unhoused.


March 7, 2022

How Black Lives Matter protests sparked interest, can lead to change

man holding a Black Lives Matter flag

A new study by the University of Washington and Indiana University finds that the growing use of anti-racist terms shows how Black Lives Matter has shifted the conversation around racism, raising awareness of issues and laying the foundation for social change.


March 2, 2022

Counties that rely on the courts for revenue sentence more women to incarceration

Washington counties that rely more on revenue from court-imposed fines and fees also sentence more women to incarceration, a study by the University of Washington finds.


Multi-state study of monetary sanctions finds widespread inequities, far-reaching consequences

Alexes Harris, professor of sociology at the University of Washington, discusses her team’s five-year, eight-state study of legal financial obligations, and their findings that court-imposed fines and fees perpetuate inequality.


February 3, 2022

For the uninsured, crowdfunding provides little help in paying for health care and deepens inequities

New research from the University of Washington shows that people in states with higher medical debt and lower rates of insurance coverage are more likely to try to raise money but less likely to succeed.


January 11, 2022

Q&A: Bringing a justice lens to wildlife management

wolf head

A team of researchers led by the University of Washington drew upon the field of environmental justice — which primarily has focused on harms to people and public health — and applied its concepts to wildlife management, considering forms of injustice that people, communities and animal groups might experience. Lead author and UW assistant professor Alex McInturff talks with UW News about this work and why it’s significant.


December 16, 2021

Bias against Native Americans spikes when mascots are removed

New research led by the University of Washington shows how discontinuing a Native American mascot can stoke racism among a team’s surrounding community.


December 14, 2021

Nonprofits show resilience and initiative during second year of pandemic

food on shelves at a food bank

A new study from the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance at the University of Washington explores not only how the pandemic economy impacted donations to, and the operations of, charitable organizations, but also how nonprofits responded to the simultaneous call for racial justice.


November 22, 2021

Kids, teens believe girls aren’t interested in computer science, study shows

Children as young as age 6 develop stereotypes that girls aren’t interested in computer science and engineering, according to new research from the University of Washington and the University of Houston.


October 29, 2021

How public pension funds can help address climate change

Ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Conference that begins Oct. 31, the University of Washington’s Michael McCann and Riddhi Mehta-Neugebauer talk about the extensive investment of public pension funds — the retirement plan of millions of U.S. workers — in fossil fuels.


October 1, 2021

Politics, health data held almost equal sway in states’ COVID-19 restrictions

Closed sign in a shop window

New research by the University of Washington shows that states eased pandemic restrictions, such as gathering limits and business closures, based on politics as much as COVID-19 death rates or case counts. 


September 22, 2021

Feeling anxious about in-person work, school? Here’s how to ease the transition

students walking across campus in the fall

People may experience a range of emotions as some in-person routines resume during this stage of the pandemic. University of Washington psychology professor Jane Simoni suggests ways to cope.


September 14, 2021

Study examines teens’ thoughts, plans around suicide

girl sitting on a dock with her head in her hands

New research by the University of Washington and New York University explored gender, racial and ethnic differences among teens who think about and/or attempt suicide, as well as associated behavioral and environmental factors.


September 7, 2021

Research, education hub on ‘coastal resiliency’ will focus on earthquakes, coastal erosion and climate change

tsunami warning sign on the beach

The new Cascadia Coastlines and Peoples Hazards Research Hub, led by Oregon State University and the University of Washington, will study coastal hazards and community resilience. The National Science Foundation awarded $18.9 million for the hub over five years.


August 19, 2021

Youth mental health during the pandemic better with more sleep, structure and time in nature

girl walking in the woods

A study led by Harvard and the University of Washington surveyed children, teens and their families about the stresses of the pandemic, and ways to cope.



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