The Trump Administration Is Done With Social Science The Trump administration is proposing significant cuts to the National Science Foundation (NSF), including the elimination of its Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) division, which funds a substantial portion of academic research in these fields. This move has alarmed social scientists who rely on NSF funding for critical surveys and research into American life, potentially weakening the ability to understand societal shifts. Despite historical skepticism and some conservative opposition, arguments are being made for the continued importance of social science research for economic and societal understanding, with some conservative scholars supporting its funding.

• The Trump administration plans to cut the NSF budget in half and eliminate the SBE division, a move that requires congressional approval.
• The administration views hard sciences as key to future dominance, dismissing social sciences as ‘ideologically-driven’.
• NSF’s SBE division funds major social science surveys that are crucial for understanding economic mobility, domestic life, and voting behavior.
• Funding cuts have already impacted doctoral research in fields like archaeology and anthropology, and grants for science and technology studies have been stalled.
• Despite historical criticism and past proposed cuts, social science research has demonstrated concrete benefits, such as improving kidney-donor matching and retirement savings nudges.
• Some conservative analysts and hard-science organizations argue that social science research is vital for informed policymaking and understanding fundamental human interactions, even in technology-driven fields.