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100+ Social Issues Research Paper Topics

Group of people discussing social issues

There are many issues in society to write about, making social issue essay topics some of the most fun. However, choosing a social topic for an essay isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially when there are several social essay topics. The secret to choosing the best among the many social topics is knowing what makes the best social topics for an essay, the best.

This article will give you workable tips for choosing a great topic on specific social issues, argumentative essay topics , and social topics. We will also throw in 100 topics on social issues; they can serve as your social topic or inspiration for choosing.

What Are Top Tips for Choosing Social Topics to Write About?

What characterizes the best social issue topics, social issue topics list, fascinating research topics on social issues, interesting social commentary topics, interesting social issues on social media, ideas of social issues essay topics on health, socially significant topics to write on, social issues research topics for a professional paper on the environment, top-rated socially relevant topics, cool social issues to research on criminal justice, social problem topics for college students, issues in america to write about, argumentative essay topics on social issues, unique social issues to write a research paper on.

When it comes to social problems essay topics, the list is endless; there are so many social issues to talk about. However, not all social problem topics will make a great paper, and the wrong social issue topic can reduce your grade. Below are the top practical tips for choosing social issues topics for presentation.

Choose easy social issues to write about – avoid trying to impress your professor by choosing complex social problems topics you can’t do justice to.
Choose social problem topics or social media research topics that your audience can relate to and find interesting.
When choosing from the myriads of social problems to write about, choose those with sufficient information. Also, you don’t want social problem essay topics you’ll have to walk miles to gather information on.
Pick as many good social issues to write about as possible; chances are you will change issues essay topics midway. You don’t have to return to searching for current issues to write about.
Source for articles that address problems in society to write about for an idea on how to write yours.

The “best” social topics, like social commentary essay topics, are those you’re passionate about. It would help if you cared about the social issue ideas you’ve decided to write on to do real justice to the paper. Writing an essay on them will be torture if you don’t care or know anything about social commentary ideas. Also, if your audience is clueless about a particular topic, consider omitting technical and social significance topics.

Interesting social topics are not hard to find if you know where to look. We will give you a social issues topics list here, but you can still find social issues ideas all over the internet. Find our social topics list below containing interesting and uncommon social issues for a distinction-worthy paper.

Political polarization
Racism in modern society’s healthcare
Ageism: the new racism?
The fairness of labor laws
Fat-shaming in the corporate world
Recovering addicts and social injustice
Child pornography
Prisoner rights violations: the types
Making vaccinations mandatory
Online education impact on obesity
Increasing employment: the solution to poverty?
Accessibility of healthcare in mobile clinics
Women empowerment
Social development in developing countries
Overpopulation: a threat?
How social networks impact friendship
Age restriction on Instagram
Social media effect on dependency
Business Facebook accounts and digital ethics
Cancel culture and mental health
Restricting children from social media
How to stay safe on the internet
Freedom of speech on Twitter
High cost of medical procedures
Obesity in developed countries
Abortion: legal or illegal?
Drug addiction
Hospices: should they be free?
Why HIV in seniors remains unrecognized
Dying with dignity
Pro-life movement origins
The social acceptance of autism
Effect of malnourishment on children’s psyche
Impact of fad diets
Discrimination against older adults
Acceptability of homeopathic treatment for children
The scarcity of and state of available healthcare facilities in rural areas
Poverty and health problems
Ensuring global access to drinking water
Implementing sustainable technology in agriculture
Benefits of studying the environment
Urban gardening and food security
Deteriorating environment effect on labor conditions
Religion and nature
Global warming impact on South America
Effect of racial profiling
Prevalence of hate speech
Discrimination against the LGBT community
Modern feminism: the negative impact on society
Pregnancy termination: morality vs. legality
Food culture
Emotional intelligence: impact on family life
Harmful effects of financial illiteracy
The perception of “Defund the police.”
Evidence of structural racism
The internet’s influence on human trafficking
Legalizing prostitution
Civil disobedience goals
The consequences of restoring prisoners to society
Influence of prejudices on criminal justice mechanics
Prominent civil rights violations in developing countries
Gender blindness
Gender dysphoria
The Khmer Rouge
Social media and racist bias
Justification of human rights limitations during a crisis
How governments can secure freedom of speech
Can satire be harmful?
Protection of stateless persons
Can illegal immigrants be pardoned?
War on drugs: the negative side effects
The importance of bipartisan cooperation
College loans: are they worth it?
Fake news: a severe problem?
Charter schools vs. public schools
The Great New Deal: pros and cons
Gentrification in America
Ableism effects in the US
Death penalty: a just punishment?
Healthcare: a fundamental human right?
The right to own a gun
Does history repeat itself?
Commercials in kids’ programs
Fiction vs. nonfiction: which is the better read?
Video games should be a sport
Hot dogs: have they caused more harm than good?
Eating dessert before dinner
Homework: is it too much?
Should gym classes be required?
The essentiality of feminism
Free healthcare for everyone
Exploring space: is it worth it?
Parents’ role in childhood obesity
Woman vs. man: who is more emotional?
The effects of campaign finance reform
Should illegal immigrants be granted residency?

With this list of social topics and others you’ll find on the internet, you can’t be short of social issues to talk about. Choosing the best social issues topics is essential for writing a great research paper,or write dissertation for me ranging from social change topics to social awareness topics. Considering the vast amount of community issues to write about, our tips on choosing from the best social relevance topics will come in handy. If you need professional writing services, you can contact our experts.

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300 Social Issues Research Topics to Impress Your Professor and Get A

Researching social issues holds immense importance in our quest for knowledge and progress. It allows us to delve deeper into the complexities of society, unraveling the underlying causes, impacts, and potential solutions. However, the significance of a good research topic must be considered, which sets the stage for a high-scoring and impactful research endeavor. If you have difficulty finding a good social issue research topic, check out these lists from the experts working with a professional paper writing services provider.

Table of Contents

Comprehensive list of Unique Social Issue Research Topics

Scroll down and go through our list of unique topics and pick one that sparks your interest. Here you go with the first one:

Women’s Social Issues Research Topics

It’s crucial to look into the various aspects of women’s social issues if we want to get a better understanding of gender inequality. Here are some ideas to help you dig deeper into this topic.

Prejudice against women in corporate culture
Problems of pregnant women working in the corporate
Harassment in educational institutes against women
What strategies can governments adopt to ensure equal rights for women?
Raising awareness of the problems of pregnant women
How to develop a respectful attitude towards women and gender minorities in companies?
Ill-treatment of women in the government sector
Writing on essay topics related to problems with Syrian female immigrants
The Role of Women in economic life and the World of Work
Women’s political and electoral training
Women in old homes: Research and Interviews for Problems and Concerns
Toxic Masculinity in the Workplace: what can women do?
Developing a workplace culture for fair treatment of every gender
Role of Government in solving problems related to Women
The economy of the United States: Income inequality in the U.S.
Building a world where women have equal opportunities and fair treatment
Essay Topics Related to Problems of Women in New York
Financial problems for single mothers
Women dealing with social issues in New Mexico
Condition of Mexican immigrant women in the United States
Women’s health: Key performance indicators, problems and obstacles
Securing Women’s Rights with the Help of international law
Education of women: The rights and responsibilities
Better living conditions for older women
A research study of the problems of pregnant women in California
Health and welfare of older people, especially women
Improving the quality of life for single mothers with better opportunities

Children’s Social Issues Research Topics

It’s important to tackle the social issues that affect kids to create a better, more nurturing future for the next generation. Here are some interesting topics on this subject to get started with writing your research paper .

School Bullying and social networks
Problems and issues with children with a single parent
A research study on the problems of children in foster homes
How can we make foster care better and safer for children?
Delinquency trends in children among marginalized communities
modernity and technology at the cost of the destruction of childhood
Issues that children from Mexican households in America have to face
What are the advantages of multiculturalism in kindergarten?
Problems of Assault and Molestation of Children
Why Are Young People Committing Crimes These Days?
Cyberbullying and Toxicity on social media
Violence among children and young people
Rehabilitation of juvenile offenders and improving their lives
Illness and disability among kids living in developing countries
The lack of tolerance among the teenagers
Child labor in developing countries
Psychology of kindergarten education
School is a chance for every kid to learn tolerance and harmony
Children facing with lack of empathy and bullying on social media
The use of new technologies in education and adaptability in children
Problems of immigrant children
Child development and behavior

Social Issues Research Topics About Labor Rights

It’s essential to look into the social issues surrounding workers’ rights and fight for their well-being. Labor rights are the foundation of having fair and decent working conditions. Here are some topics if you want to research such subjects.

The legal responsibility of entrepreneurs
Workplace accident management
Increased flexibility via remote working options
Mental health problems caused by workers after the COVID pandemic
The principle of equality today is related to labor rights
Change wages or salaries
Labor problems caused by the Covid pandemic
Employees having to deal with additional work pressures
Role of labor unions in social justice for Laborers
Mental health problems in the Workplace
What can we do to offer ideas for improvements in labor laws
The desire to maintain a healthy work-life balance
Hate speech and domestic violence against marginalized groups in large companies
Academic paper for immigration disruptions in Canada and USA
The employer’s right to manage employees and the abuse of it
Role of human resources in identifying and solving problems of labor
The job of the government and schools is to offer their members better career prospects
Problems and issues related to a minimum period of employment
The technology skills gap leads to problems with the laborers
Improving the well-being of the company for its members
Change wages or salaries impact and consequences
How the global pandemic and Working from home changed the World
Recruiting methods from passive to active: how to prepare
Global labor shortages: problems and consequences
What are the reasons for the labor shortage?
Writing assignment about laborers dealing with the effects of long Covid
Why is it essential for companies to take a public stand for social issues
Mental health problems for workers in the field
Relevant examples of social issues related to labor and employment
How to empower workers against social injustice?

Social Issues Research Topics for the Environment

It’s important to dig into how social issues and the environment are connected when we’re trying to handle big problems like climate change, running out of resources, etc. Here are some research topics to think about.

Health risks associated with the general environment and their perception and representation
Climate change knowledge and expertise on health risks
Health inequalities resulting from environmental and social factors
What Role can environmental law play in protecting the environment at sea?
Deforestation and chronic pollution are destroying biodiversity
Importance of green energy conversion
The Law of the Environment and sustainable development
The Management of Pollution in Environmental Law
Toward a better understanding of atmospheric pollution
Utilizing environmental technologies and learning about them
Waste and material resources of the World
The destruction of ozone affects the environment and health
Nature’s resources are being destroyed. What can we do as researchers to prevent this?
Is it still imperative to preserve the environment during wartime?
Combating armed conflict while preserving the environment
The tourism industry and pollution management
Environmental factors that affect cancer risk
Cost-benefit analysis of the action based on legal or socioeconomic criteria
Analyzing how different environmental factors contribute to the risk
Investigating a variety of environmental issues and sectors
Regions and specific areas of environmental perception
The effects of climate change and global warming
Factors contributing to a healthy environment
The relationship between human rights and environmental law
In environmental law, pollution management is a constant
Worldwide implementation of sustainable development
How consumption trends and international news can help the environmental cause

Social Issues Research Topics Related to Covid Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed how we live and has spotlighted all kinds of social issues that need to be looked into and solved. So, if you would like to research social issues related to the recent pandemic, check out this list for current social issues for research paper:

Social panic caused after the COVID-19 breakdown
Problems and social issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 and financial problems on the rise
Impact of COVID-19 on the people with middle class
Police Procedure and criminal justice during the COVID-19
The aftermath of COVID-19 has resulted in a social dilemma and economic disruption
An influential aspect of the pandemic is mental health
The Impact of social and territorial inequalities on health
The ethical issues raised by the pandemic
Writing research papers on social media’s Role during COVID-19
Children and adolescents’ mental condition during the pandemic
Problems in healthcare and Management of chronic diseases
Disruption in modern society by the COVID-19
How our social media accounts helped us during the darkest hours of covid
Ensuring the delivery of criminal justice during covid
Impact of COVID-19 on family life
Role of the Pandemic in the Promotion of remote education
Avoiding social media addiction during the quarantine

Social Issue Topics Related to American Society

Checking out the social problems in the U.S. gives us a great understanding of how complicated, varied and hard they can be for people and different communities. Here is another list of topics on social issues.

Environment perception in specific areas and regions
Climate change and global warming effects
The factors that contribute to a healthy environment
Cancer risk factors in the environment
Workplace toxic masculinity: what can women do?
The global labor shortage: problems and consequences
Why does the U.S. have a shortage of labor?
Workers dealing with the effects of Covid
Problems related to mental issues among field workers
Law and human rights concerning the environment
Management of pollution is a constant concern in environmental law
Impacts and consequences of changes in wages or salaries
How to prepare for passive to active recruitment
The problem of child labor in developing countries
Kindergarten Education and Psychology
Tolerance and harmony can be learned in school by every child
Lack of empathy and bullying on social media among children
Technology in Education and Children’s Adaptability
Legal or socioeconomic cost-benefit analysis of the action
A major social issue in the modern age is poverty
Government’s Role in solving social problems
Sustainable Development of the World
Trafficking in drugs and Mexican cartels
A culture of fair treatment for all genders in the Workplace
Nature’s resources are being depleted.
Management of pollution in the tourism industry
How can we use social media to improve society and resolve social problems?
A lack of respect for marginalized communities in the professional environment can be seen in several ways.
Understanding social issues and the problems associated with them
Materials and waste from around the World and the Impact they have on the environment
The depletion of ozone is detrimental to the environment and human health
Insights into the political and electoral training of women
Taking a closer look at Women’s Problems and Concerns in old homes: Research and Interviews
Issues and problems related to the minimum period of employment and the minimum wage
The technological skills gap is causing labor shortages shortly
Enhancing the well-being of the members of the company as a whole

Interesting Social Injustice Topics for College Students

As college students, exploring and engaging with interesting social issues topics expands our intellectual horizons and empowers us to become agents of change in our communities and beyond. Particularly when you include social problems examples. Here is another list of interesting topics.

Developing better relationships with public institutions to solve problems
The Role of social work in the Management of health problems
Corporations discriminate against marginalized communities in the U.S.
Sociology of the popular classes
The reasons for the low human development index in African countries
Social issues caused by class differences
Drugs and anarchist behaviors
Religious Differences and biased approaches to employment strategies
Mexican cartels and the problem of drug trafficking
Poverty is one of the most significant social issues in the Modern World
Role of the Government in solving social issues
How can we use social media to improve society and solve social issues?
Prejudice against marginalized communities in the professional environment
Understanding the problems related to social issues
Role of problem-solving and understanding the root cause of social issues
Major social issues in developing countries
Role of Education in ending violence in Society
Class Differences and the Impact on the human development index
Differences in health facilities for different classes
Social Norms and the Role of the Community
Causes and solutions to human trafficking on the Mexican borders
Human development index in India
How to solve the poverty problem?
What is the problem of social media bullying, and how to avoid it?
How does financial illiteracy lead to a lack of development in developing countries?
Impact of Terrorism on Society
How to solve the terrorism problem?
Mafia problems in the USA and how to deal with them
Biased treatment of marginalized communities in the government sector
The increasing problem of drug addiction
Ethics and Artificial Intelligence: Emerging social issues
Role of social media in increasing social issues

Police and Social Justice Research Papers Topics

Let’s unveil a curated collection of current social issues for a research paper. Here’s the list:

Children’s safety and protection: The security job is of the utmost importance
School bullying is a serious issue that needs to be addressed
A few heartrending social issues examples
Using the Internet to disseminate terrorist content: a serious issue related to Cybersecurity
Digital Platform Security Certification – A Guide to Cybersecurity Certifications
The protection of minors in alcohol-serving establishments
Concerns regarding cyber security in the United States
An analysis of the spatial pattern of terrorism in the USA over the past two decades
New York crime analysis, a look at the crime situation in the City
Security technologies face several obstacles when it comes to their implementation
Having the versatility to specialize and the specialization to be versatile in security matters
Investigative requisitions from the judicial police
Relationships between the police and the public: The need for improvement
Conflict Management and Prevention in Communities
The principle of secularism in sports must be respected
Stopping the illicit trade in tobacco products
Towns with small populations and cybersecurity
Taking care of historical monuments
Providing support to victims of aggression
An analysis of the roadside check system in developing countries
The challenges of reception at a police station for public security
A system for protecting housing from illegal encroachment
Anti-abuse and anti-fraud measures
A diversity of expectations and feedback from the inhabitants
Taking public security work seriously in terms of its relational dimension
The issue of external assistance in the area of internal security
Putting social networks to the test in terms of police ethics

As you have reached the conclusion paragraph of the blog post, you must have picked a topic or two to work for your social issue research paper. Most of the lists have focused on social issues today as they could be very interesting for the readers. Plus, there are a plethora of good topics for you to count on. Just remember that a good research subject must be able to answer, what is a social problem, what is a social issue, and more. Still if you are struggling with picking up a good topic, feel free to count on the expertise of our writers .

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155 Social Problems Essay Topics & Research Questions to Write about

Are you looking for the best social issues topics? You’re at the right place! StudyCorgi has prepared a list of social problems research topics and questions for your speech, essay, and other writing assignments. You’ll find titles about inequality, teenage pregnancy, violence, hunger, and other problems facing contemporary society.

⚠️ 7 Social Issues Topics 2024

✅ easy social issues to write about, 🏆 best social issues essay topics, 👍 good social problems research topics & essay examples, 🎓 most interesting social issues research topics, 💡 simple social issues topics for project, ❓ research questions on social issues, 🔎 current research topics on social issues, 🗣️ social issues topics for speech.

Poverty as a Social Problem
Migration as a Social Problem
Juvenile Delinquency as Social Problem Within Education Institutions
Violence: The Social Problem
Bullying: A Serious Social Problem
Social Problems Assignment: Juvenile Delinquency
Oppression as a Social Problem

If you need to write a paper on social issues and wonder what social problems to write about, here are a few easy options you can consider:

Social Problem Analysis: Social Inequality in Education This paper encompasses the persistent issue of social inequality that we can witness as a routine practice every day. This topic analysis social inequality in educational institutions.
Social Deviance Contribution to Social Problems The paper examines the forms that social deviance may acquire contributing them to social issues, that is criminal and non-criminal deviance.
Social Problems Related to Alcohol and Drugs The present paper will explain the content of three articles relating to the issue of Alcohol and drug use while also providing a personal reflection on the readings.
Educational Institutions’ Social Problems: Juvenile Delinquency Juvenile delinquency is the problem that profoundly affects educational institutions as its representatives are people involved in education the most.
Social Problems of People with Disabilities People living with disabilities go through several challenges in life because society is yet to appreciate their presence.
America’s Social Problems Through the Song “Cookie Jar” by J. Johnson The song Cookie Jar is a song written by Jack Johnson song talks about the blame game that is going on and in American society.
Juvenile Delinquency as Social Problem of Vulnerable Populations The theme of this paper is such a problem of vulnerable populations as juvenile delinquency, its interconnection with other social problems, and possible ways of its solution.
The Use of Statistics in Evaluating Social Problems Statistics are an important tool for researchers and policymakers when analyzing particular social-related issues. The types of statistics are objective or subjective.
Social Problems and Policy: Youth Unemployment and Mental Health In the history of the US, the federal and state governments have been at the forefront to facilitate effective social programs.
Modern Social Problems Through the Sociological Imagination Prism This paper aims to discuss the concept of the sociological imagination and its significance in understanding contemporary social problems.
Obesity in Adolescence as a Social Problem The paper states that adolescence is one of the most crucial developmental phases of human life during which the issue of obesity must be solved.
Solving Social Problems With a Nudge The speaker’s perspective is on the human mind’s diversity and complexity, making people manufacture irrational behavior, perpetuating poverty, corruption, and discrimination.
Benchmark as Social Problems The impact of social phenomenon, for instance, social inequality, vulnerable population and other problems with politics, on poverty from a macro and micro perspectives.
Social Problems in Wilson’s “Fences” Play People who have been subjected to social oppression have a good chance of developing mental health problems in the future.
Meth Epidemic as a Social Problem: Film Analysis Drug consumption has become a major social problem for many states in the US as many drug users and addicts consider meth as their top choice.
Development of Children’s Friendship and Social Problems This analysis was reached upon following a close thirty-minute observation of infants, and it suggests various types of behaviors presented by children in play.
Queer (LGBTQ) Community as a Social Problem in Canada The Canadian government has shown interest in LGBTQ matters in recent years. Canadian queer persons are more likely to be victims of violent crime.
The Covid-19 Related Social Problems The paper discusses the Covid-19 pandemic that has caused devastating social disruption where millions of individuals have fallen into extreme poverty.
Social Problem and Policy Analysis Human rights and social work perspectives show how standardized testing promotes inequality and increases the barriers for non-white individuals.
Social Problem: Hunger in the United States Hunger problem, income gap, race discrimination, poverty in rural regions, and COVID-19 outbreak have severe effects on the hunger problem.
Americas Social Problems Nowadays The article explains the social, economic, political, technological, and legal impacts of war and how the global community can address the reality of terrorism.
The Social Problems Behind the Military Suicide
How Overpopulation Causes Social Problems?
Ethical and Social Problems of Genetic Engineering
The Economic and Social Problems of the 1930s
Social Problems Among College Students
Alphonso Pinkney’s Black American: Chronic Social Problems
Race and Gender Impact on Social Problems
Behavior and Social Problems in Classrooms
Social Problems About School Drop Outs
Current Political and Social Problems of Pakistan
Social Problems Associated With Street Gangs
Social Problems and the Theories of Emile Durkheim
Unemployment and Social Problems in the Post-war United States
Social Problems and Issues in Pakistan
Sociology and Various Social Problems
The Major Social Problems Facing the Teenagers of Today
Values, Social Problems, and Balanced Development in Malaysia
Political, Economic and Social Problems of France
Social Problems Associated With Health and Happiness
The Environment and Social Problems
Social Problems Amongst the Homeless
Mauritius: Tourism and Social Problems
Social Problems Affecting Youth Today and Ways To Solve Them
Nature and Social Problems
Social Problems and Drug Abuse
Critical Social Problems Affecting African Americans
Social Problems Arise From the Views and Values of the Society
Connection Between Social Problems and Urbanization
Unemployment Social Problems Faced by China and West
Social Problems Among Youth in Malaysia
American Modern Social Problem The United States is not renowned to having one of the best systems of health care worldwide, rather the U .S. is known for its best system in emergency care worldwide.
Social Problem of Inequality Studies of social inequality included non-urban areas and social inequality factors that had not been included in previous studies.
Analyzing Social Problems: Health Disparities This discussion will examine the unequal access to healthcare and its cause, investigate its prevalence, describe vulnerable populations.
The Social Problem of Obesity in Adolescence The social worker should be the bridge uniting obese individuals and society advertising social changes, and ending injustice and discrimination.
The Social Problem of Bullying and the School System The present paper focuses on the connection between the social problem of bullying and the school system, describing each of these concepts.
Policies for Social Problems Social problems dominate in different parts of the world. Good policies should be devised to make it possible to pronounce dominant sociological problems.
The Most Crucial Social Problems To conclude, it is essential not to forget about less fortunate people who have nothing to eat and nowhere to live.
Social Problems Within Educational Institutions It is necessary to understand and analyze the connection between various social problems within U.S. educational institutions.
Analyzing Social Problems – Case Study: Jake Levy The analysis of Jake Levy’s case led to lobby the state legislature to start a suicide prevention program for veterans who are getting mental health services.
Perspectives on the Central Social Problem in Modern Society Social ills plaguing modern society have been a basic concern for many prominent philosophers throughout the ages.
Potential Threat of Coronavirus as a Social Problem in Haines City, Florida SARS coronavirus is only a potential threat for Haines City so far, but preventing misinformation and potential panic is still an important social problem.
Social Problems: Exploring the Main Types There are four main social problems; crime, violence, drug abuse, and environmental problems. The other social problems are very closely related to the above.
Childhood Obesity: Medical Complications and Social Problems The children have also suffered from the adverse effects that have been instilled into our society. Obesity has become a common problem in children of American and European countries.
American Social Problems of Women and the Elderly The issues of social discrimination experienced by women and elderly people have their roots in two fundamental perspectives of social life.
Modern American Social Problems The essay lists the current American social problems and describes the key point of each problem the society faced nowadays.
Substance Abuse: The Cause of Social Problems Substance abuse is a contributing factor to social problems but cannot be said to be the one that is most responsible.
American Social Problems: Family and Education The family and education are major socializing agents in society and to be particular the United States of America.
Rawls vs. Nozick on Social Problems and Criminal Justice The essay reflects on the articles of Rawls and Nozick to compare their key points and determine whose theory is most applicable to social problems and criminal justice.
Global Warming: Solving a Social Problem Global warming may be a cause of the cooling in some parts of the world. Global warming can slow down ocean heat transport which becomes the reason for cooling in some regions.
World Poverty as a Global Social Problem Poverty and the key methods helping to reduce it attract the attention of numerous researchers in different areas of expertise.
The Issue of Adolescent Pregnancy as a Major Social Problem The purpose of this study is to investigate the issue of adolescent pregnancy as a significant challenge that affects society across the globe.
Texting and Driving: Social Problems Texting and driving refers to the act of receiving, reading and sending text messages while operating a motor vehicle, which is a hazardous practice that causes many fatalities.
Social Problems Exam Practice
PRS and Its Social Problems
Social Problems and Legalization of Marijuana
The Increasing Social Problems of Violence in the 20th Century
Child Abuse – Social Problems
Social Problems and Solutions Chart
The Social Problems Facing Homeless Youth
Social Problems Are Due to Society’s Tolerance of Immorality
Realist and Constructivist Approaches to Social Problems
Social Problems During the Industrial Revolution
Emile Durkheim and Social Problems
Literature During the Old Times Until Now Contribute To Address Social Problems
Substance Abuse and Social Problems
Public Education and the Impact of Social Problems
Social Problems Facing Our US Veterens
Physiological and Social Problems in the Middle East
Social Problems and Homelessness in Savannah, Georgia
Technical and Social Problems of Nuclear Waste
Social Problems Associated With Interfaith Marriages
Technology and Social Problems
Social Problems Affecting Students and Schools in the US
Ethnography: Social Problems
Social Problems Affecting Society, Big and Small
Appalachia: Culture and Social Problems
Social Problems Associated With Racial Discrimination
Political, Economic, and Social Problems in India
Social Problems Behind Sexual Deviance
Poor Neighborhoods Give Rise to Social Problems
Literary Realism and Social Problems
Prevalent Social Problems That Impacts Society
What Are the Ethical and Social Issues of Genetic Engineering?
What Social Problems Occur in Substance Abuse?
What Are the Main Social Issues among the Youth in Malaysia?
What Are the Social Problems behind War Suicide?
What Are the Economic and Social Issues of Women Entrepreneurs in Turkey?
What Are the Incentives for Solving Social Problems?
What Business and Social Problems Does Data Center?
Why Do Poor Neighborhoods Give Rise to Social Problems?
What Are the Reasons for the Social Problems of Adolescents?
What Are the Economic and Social Issues of the Caribbean?
What Social Problems Arise Because of Society’s Tolerance for Immorality?
What Are the Various Social Issues Faced by Black Women in the American South?
How Social Problems Caused by the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601?
What Are Pakistan’s Current Political and Social Problems?
What Are the Common Social Problems Affecting Society?
What Is the Influence of Literary Realism on Social Problems?
What Business and Social Problems Does Data Center Power Consumption Cause?
How Does the Media Impact Social Problems?
What Social Problems Are Revealed in the Great Gatsby?
What Are the Social Problems Associated with Interfaith Marriages?
Should the State Pay More Attention to Solving the Pressing Social Problems of Our Time?
What Is the Connection between Social Policy and Social Problems?
What Are the Social Problems Faced by Homeless Youth?
What Are the Physiological and Social Problems in the Middle East?
Online misinformation and its effects on society.
Racial bias and discrimination in policing.
The impact of populism on democracies.
Factors perpetuating the gender pay gap.
The influence of climate change on vulnerable populations.
The impact of automation on the job market.
The effects of cyberbullying on adolescents.
The social consequences of rapid urbanization.
Youth unemployment and social exclusion.
Social implications of genetic modification technologies.
Strategies to prevent cyberbullying and online harassment.
The impact of social media on youth.
Access to quality education for all.
The importance of safeguarding personal information online.
Encouraging youth to get involved in the democratic process.
The influence of technology on social interactions.
Ways to combat human trafficking.
Raising awareness of human rights violations in conflict zones.
The effects of social media on body image.
Why should guns be prohibited?

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StudyCorgi . 2022. "155 Social Problems Essay Topics & Research Questions to Write about." March 1, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/social-problems-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on Social Problems were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on January 21, 2024 .

A List of 470 Powerful Social Issues Essay Topics

In modern societies, people do everything to live peacefully. Still, tensions often arise. We call them social issues when they start negatively impacting a specific group of people. Poverty, discrimination, and addiction are examples of such problems. We need to confront them to ensure equal treatment for everyone.

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Our professional custom writing team created this article to help you write a social issues essay. This comprehensive social issues topics list covers various current problems in America and in the world. Choose among 450 social topics, and get down to writing!

🔝 Top 10 Topics

✅ How to Write About Social Issues

🌐 Social Media Issues Topics
🏥 Health-Related Issues
🌳 Environmental Issues
🔫 War & Violence
🚓 Police & Criminal Justice
👨👩 Gender-Related Issues
🧔🏿 Racism Topics
✈️ Migration & Refugees
⚖️ Human Rights Topics
🗽 Social Issues in America

🔝 Top 10 Social Issues Topics

Types of prisoner rights violations.
Can vaccinations be mandatory?
What makes overpopulation a threat?
Online education as a cause of obesity.
The economic effect of rising sea levels.
The effects of Gender Pay Gap on economy.
Ways to stop racial discrimination in schools.
Can increase of employment help reduce poverty?
Women empowerment and social development.
Can mobile clinics make healthcare more accessible?

Writing on topics related to social issues involves thorough research. It also requires sympathy and tact. Following this guide will help you not to step on anybody’s toes.

Research papers call for an in-depth analysis. Make sure to reference several sources to back up your claims.
Essays revolve around your opinion. Here, good arguments are crucial.
Pick the topic . It can be either contemporary or historical. It’s better to choose something you’re interested in. If nothing comes to mind right away, use a writing topic generator .
Do research . Consult encyclopedias, find books on the topic. It will help you formulate ideas and outline the first draft.
Consider your audience . How much do they know about your subject? How invested are they? Understanding your readers will help you be more considerate.
Even if you have strong feelings about your subject, keep your tone neutral. Make sure not to condemn those who hold opposite views.
Highlight what you personally think is right. Remember that you can’t control how other people will react.
Be frank. Ask yourself: who am I? How do my experiences fit into my topic? Your honest answers will add unique insights to your paper.
Double-check your paper. Does everything you wrote logically flow? Does your argumentative structure make sense? Does it support your thesis? If possible, let your assignment sit for a day. You can edit it later with a fresh perspective.

These are the basics you need if you want to write about social issues. Now you can start your research! The first step is to pick one of the excellent topics about social problems from the list below.

🌐 Social Issues Essay Topics Related to Social Media

Security issues of social media .
Should Instagram be age-restricted?
Social networks’ impact on friendships.
Disadvantages of being an influencer .
Is there freedom of speech in social media?
Should social media ban fake information?
How harmful is social media dependency?
Should employers check employees’ accounts?
Online ethics and business Facebook accounts.
The effect of the cancel culture on mental health.
Cyberbullying: victim and abuser in the online environment.
Should children be allowed to have social media accounts?
Your opinion on memorial pages on social networks for the deceased.
Ways to stay safe on the internet.

How should social media websites deal with hate speech ?
Is removing abusive content censorship?
Explore the correlation between social media and mental disorders.
Does Instagram change the way we perceive our lives?
Is modern society forcing us to participate in social networking ?
What is identity theft ?
Personal isolation and technology in communication.
The risks of microtransactions in online gaming .
How does your digital presence influence your real life?
Why do some people become dependent on social media ?
Are online networks promoting stalking ?
Discuss the digital divide in Washington.
Is Twitter’s cancel culture doing more harm than good?
How do marginalized groups benefit from social media?
How important is data safety?
Are people on social media more aggressive than in real life?
Does the internet shorten our attention span ?
Ways in which social media impacts your interactions with other people.
Marketing, social media, and you: how do influencers impact your buying behavior?
Explore the effect of the internet on students’ lives.
Is Reddit right to allow outrageous content under the principle of free speech ?
Politics and Twitter: the consequences of Donald Trump’s tweets .
Does banning online networks from the workplace increase productivity?
What basic ethical principles go overboard on the Internet ?
In how far do social media trends reflect on the general public?
Social media and youth: does it make puberty harder?
The influence of social media platforms on democracy.
What would happen if we could rate everyone online? (Think Community ’s episode “App Development and Condiments”)
Does Instagram inspire a healthy lifestyle ?
Why are likes so important?
Debate the effects of speaking out in online communities.
Are Facebook’s profile picture frames a good way of showing support?
Debate social media policies and code of conduct.
Is YouTube spreading propaganda?
Did you ever do something because you’ve read about it on the internet?
Are Twitter hashtags skewing the political discourse?
Examine the gendered experiences of people on the internet.
How do you make yourself heard on social media?
Evaluate the usefulness of Facebook’s Safety Check feature.
Discuss the pros and cons of TikTok challenges.
How does participating in Instagram challenges for social justice help?

🏥 Health-Related Social Issues Topics to Write About

Our health largely depends on the social security system. With access to good healthcare services, we are less likely to develop preventable diseases. Unfortunately, issues are common in the health sector. These interesting essay writing prompts will help you explore social problems related to health:

Are employers not paying enough attention to their employees’ mental health ?
What should a person do if they can’t afford medical treatment?
Why do some countries have higher obesity rates than others?
Should abortion be legal or illegal?
Debate whether a ban on tobacco advertising would help decrease smoking.
What makes Americans start doing drugs ?
Compare projects that help people overcome their addictions .
What is the worst substance to be addicted to?
Who should care for the elders ?
Should hospices be free?
Examine why HIV in seniors remains widely unrecognized.
Should we change the drinking age limit?
Whose health is mostly affected by pollution ?
Should parents avoid vaccinating their children?
What does it mean to die with dignity ?
Should women get extra vacation days at work because of their periods?
Explore the origins of the pro-life movement .
Should non-smokers receive additional break time?
Ways to make navigating easier for visually impaired people .
Discuss stigma against mentally challenged individuals.
The benefits of over-the-counter contraception.
Must women who breastfeed in public cover themselves up?
Psychoactive drugs in the treatment of psychological diseases.
Disabilities and stigmatization: how does being disabled affect one’s social status?
Does gender play an important role in one’s health?
What health issues are affecting African Americans and Hispanics?
Expectations and motherhood: being a childfree woman in a kid-centered society.
How does being malnourished affect a child’s psyche in the long run?
Investigate suicide rates in Pakistan.
Discuss the social acceptance of autism spectrum disorders .
Sociology and psychological diseases: the relationship between circumstance and mental health.
Write about fad diets and their impact.
How does the society you live in discriminate against older adults?
Why is access to quality healthcare unevenly distributed?
Who should decide when to stop life-prolonging treatments?
Is homeopathic treatment for children acceptable?
Describe why going to psychotherapy is widely stigmatized.
What are the social determinants of health?
Why is access to healthcare in rural areas so scarce?
Is the propagation of mindfulness and self-care on social media improving our health?

Examine the connection between poverty and health problems.
Where does our society’s general obsession with weight come from?
Do cultural norms promote drinking alcohol to an unhealthy extent?
Is coffee a drug?
How does the depiction of drug use in the media influence the youth?

🌳 Environmental Social Issues Essay Topics

Environmentalism is not just about saving nature. A damaged environment has adverse effects on humanity and its future. Changing weather and frequent natural disasters affect millions of people. Many are forced to flee their homes. Essays on this subject can cover activism or sustainability.

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Is Extinction Rebellion’s form of protest too radical?
What to avoid when traveling in the age of climate change.
How can we ensure global access to drinking water ?
The impact of bottled water on the environment.
Water conservation methods in sub-Saharan Africa.
The influence of tourism on cultural heritage sites.
How does society need to change in the future to slow down climate change?
What caused the rise in climate activism in recent years?
Innovation vs. tradition: getting traditional farmers to implement new sustainable technology.
Describe the importance of waste reduction for our ecosystems.
How can we use our natural resources responsibly?
Discuss what a sustainable diet is like.
The role of packaging in marketing, food safety, and environment.
Why do people deny human-made climate change ?
Why should sociologists study the environment?
What made us reliant on single-use plastic products?
Discuss green infrastructure in water management.
Debate how Greenpeace influences political decision making.
In your opinion, what’s the best environmental organization to donate to?
How successful is PETA in helping animals?
Should mandatory volunteer work substitute compulsory military service?
Urban gardening as a means to ensure food security .
The effect of self-driving electric vehicles on urban environments.
Compare types of sustainable futuristic cities in literature.
How does global warming impact indigenous peoples in South America?
What effects does a deteriorating environment have on labor conditions?
Explain what Oxfam does.
How does globalization impact sustainable agriculture?
What are the most significant achievements of environmental activists in recent years?
What makes politicians hesitant to take action against climate change ?
Investigate what happened to the population of Isle de Jean Charles.
Climate refugees: examine the disasters that cause people to flee their homes.
What are the unintentional consequences of climate-related relocation projects?
Explore the connection between nature and religion.
Ecology and economics: ways to find a balance.
Communities and health: how the way we handle the environment impacts the spread of disease.
Investigate methods for responsible consumption.
Why is sustainable development important for societies?

Contrast the methods of various environmentalist movements.
The world’s overpopulation: causes and effects.
Why can it be difficult to convince older generations to take action against climate change ?
What are the best things everyone can do to protect the environment ?
The role of zoos in wildlife endangerment.
How do changing weather patterns impact our homes?
What caused the increase in natural disasters over the last decade?

🔫 Social Issues Topics: War & Violence

Scientists still debate if violence is a part of human nature. Wars and terrorist attacks are disastrous events that traumatize millions of people. Still, it’s crucial not to forget about more subtle forms of violence. These include emotional neglect, bullying, and brutality in medical care.

What are the main reasons for nations to wage war?
Mental disorders and vulnerability to homicidal death.
The restoration of Germany after the Second World War.
Domestic violence in 20th century Canada.
Describe the most common types of violence against teenagers.
How does a country’s political situation impact domestic violence?
Do splatter movies promote violent behavior ?
Should girls dress modestly to avoid being abused?
What is the use of war monuments?
The issue of girl education in India.
How does war influence the development of children?
Analyze the accuracy of the events depicted in Sam Mendes’ film 1917 .
Everything Quiet on the Western Front and the youth’s attitude towards fighting.
The treatment of veterans in your community.
Why do people join the army?
Connection between school bullying and problems in adult life.
What are the most common reasons for murder ?
How can a family move on after their child has been kidnapped?
Why are veterans more likely to commit suicide than average citizens?
Is human trafficking modern-day slavery?
Investigate how citizens of Cape Town deal with the high crime rate in their city.
What events can lead to an increase in crime?
Explain the socio-economic aftermaths of the Afghanistan war .
Examine the success of Columbia’s DESEPAZ program.
What is the origin of domestic violence?
Do schools in your country work effectively to discourage abusive behavior towards girls?
Why do men tend not to report domestic violence ?
How does emotional neglect impact children?
What are the best ways to prevent street violence?
Is there a connection between the strictness of gun laws and homicide rates ?
Why do women hesitate to report rape cases?
Rape and sexual harassment in the military .
An overview of Japanese mafia culture.
The connection between education and violence.
Who profits from war?
Are the US military expenses justified?
What does the “guns vs. butter” model describe?
Give examples of cultural norms justifying violence.
In how far has globalization impacted violent behavior ?
What triggers aggression against healthcare workers?
Ways to manage verbal abuse in social care.
Examine the Chinese phenomenon of Yi Nao.
Investigate the recent decriminalization of domestic abuse in Russia.
What was the impact of the #metoo movement ?
Bullying and sexual harassment at workplace.

🚓 Police & Criminal Justice Topics to Write About

Everyone should feel safe in their community. That’s what a country’s criminal justice system is for. But humans can make mistakes and be biased. Not everyone feels protected by the current system. What can we do to change that? Explore this question in one of the following creative topics:

What does the phrase “ defund the police ” mean?
What makes you feel safe in your community?
Describe the social standing of police officers in your country.
Examine if there’s evidence of structural racism in the police.
Is it possible to achieve true equality ?
Are all professions in criminal justice equally prestigious?
Discuss the concept of juvenile crimes.
Debate castration as a punishment for sexual offenders.
The influence of the internet on human trafficking .
What could the police be substituted with?
How does racial profiling work?
Should people who abuse drugs go to jail?
How do people become homeless in big cities?
Discuss the legitimization of prostitution.
What causes governments to oppose gay marriage ?
The safest ways to deescalate riots.
What are the best methods to discourage people from committing crimes ?
Define civil disobedience and its goals.
Victimology and traditional justice system alternatives.
What makes white-collar crimes more socially acceptable than others?
Reintroducing prisoners to society: obstacles and consequences.
Would society profit from the abolition of prisons?
What are the advantages of community services ?

How does crime differ in various social classes?
Justice for women: the legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
How do prejudices influence criminal justice mechanics?
Human services issues from the point of income inequality.
Why was the Hong Kong national security law installed?
How did legalizing all drugs affect Portuguese society?
What are the prominent civil rights issues in your country?
The Captain of Köpenick : the psychological effect of uniforms.
Why was racial segregation widely accepted in America?
How do witness protection programs work?
The right to privacy vs. safety: a case for surveillance cameras.
How can one save their reputation after committing a crime?
Compare the four deviance theories in sociology .
To what extent can biology explain criminal behavior ?
Do police officers need guns?
Should law enforcers need to request permission before using firearms ?
How did dismantling the police department in Camden, NJ impact crime?
Explore the connection between militarization and police violence.
What does the principle of qualified immunity entail?
Debate the use of body cameras by police officers .
Police violence and subterfuge.
What are the social benefits of jury duty?

👨👩 Gender-Related Social Issues Essay Topics

Even today, a lot of people are systematically disadvantaged because of their gender. This problem manifests itself not only in the infamous gender pay gap. For example, in the US, transgender people are banned from serving in the army. And in some countries, women are still denied fundamental rights. If you want to get to the heart of contemporary controversial issues, this section is for you.

Why is the number of women in positions of power still low?
Are quotas the only way to guarantee equal hiring processes?
Pros and cons of unisex bathrooms.
Why are matriarchal societies rare?
Describe how the patriarchy holds back women.
Conflicting theories: gay marriage and feminism.
Does feminism need to be radical?
How does gendered marketing affect child development ?
Should insurance companies pay for sex reassignment therapy?
Reasons why some people have problems with they/them pronouns.
What does it mean to be non-binary?
Investigate the treatment of women in Saudi Arabian society .
What makes a profession traditionally female?
Should women be more encouraged to join the military ?
Why is it more challenging for men to get full custody ?
Find historical examples of women who made a change in their society.
Should professors be required to include more women authors in their reading material?
Examine the treatment of the transgender community in healthcare.
Is gender a purely social construct?
What can a woman do to become more empowered ?
Can a patriarchal society ever achieve true gender equality ?
Are Disney princesses good role models?
Examine the representation of gender variety in popular TV shows.
Gender identity: promotion of equality for sexual orientation.
Discuss the connection between gender-biased language and oppression.
Why are sexist marketing practices still legal?
Should girls capitalize on their attractive looks?
Define the term “gender blindness.”
Do school uniforms promote gender inequality?
Bibiana Steinhaus: a female referee.
Discuss how the battle of the sexes impacted society.
Should men be entitled to more extended paternity leave ?
Can religion ensure equality?
How do stereotypes against women decrease their chances of getting hired?
Why do millions of women still have to choose between having a family or a career?
Explain the gender dynamics in development.
Should men and women play and compete in mixed sports teams?
What do beauty pageants teach girls?
Debate the importance of LGBT studies.
What causes gender dysphoria?
Do blockbuster films have the responsibility to advocate for equality?
Does society need gender roles to function properly?
What makes same-sex marriage a controversial topic in many countries?
Examine adoption laws for gay couples.
Compare gender-based violence in the UK vs. Iran.

🧔🏿 Social Topics for Essays on Racism

Slavery is abolished everywhere in the world. Still, it didn’t put an end to racism. There’s a lot of racial bias fueled by insecurity and ignorance. Because of this, ethnic minorities rarely enjoy equal opportunities. An essay on racism can raise awareness of the problem by shedding light on racial injustice.

How has racism changed over the past hundred years?
Queer of color: history and theory.
Who were the Khmer Rouge ?
Trace the development of anti-discrimination laws in your country.
What caused populist groups to gain popularity in recent years?
Did Donald Trump’s presidency increase racism towards Latin Americans?
What socio-economic issues do African American families face?
Is there a connection between racism and social progress?
Would there be no racism without colonialism ?
Discuss subtle forms of everyday racism.
Should women in teaching positions be allowed to wear hijabs ?
Nelson Mandela and the fight against apartheid .
What makes people scared of minorities?
Who benefits from structural racism ?
Find out how racism manifests itself in your native language.
Compare the types of social segmentation.
Is the use of the n-word in hip hop empowering?
How did imperialism impact Okonkwo’s life in Things Fall Apart ?
In which areas of life are black Americans institutionally disadvantaged?
Is it appropriate for white people to wear hoop earrings?
The best ways to educate children about race.
How does cultural appropriation become harmful?
Racial prejudice in the movie industry.

Your position on companies renaming well-known brands to avoid claims of racism.
Discuss the problem of racism at institutional and interactional levels.
Will racism ever end?
Is “All lives matter” a racist statement?
How does environmental racism affect the living conditions of minorities?
Investigate the historical persecution of the Romani people.
What makes people racist nowadays?
The internet’s contribution to alleviating racism.
Cultivation of racism in the American society.
How much of a problem is reverse discrimination?
Trace the history of lynching and mob violence against blacks in the American South.
Who was Leo Frank?
How does discrimination differ in rich vs. developing countries?
Racism as a barrier to educational opportunities.
Does social media help fight racist bias?
How to responsibly handle classic movies and literature with racial prejudices .
What constitutes a healthy national identity ?
How does modern television portray minorities ?
Does your country’s healthcare system disadvantage minorities?
Investigate what happens to the Rohingya people in Malaysia.
Is antisemitism still a problem in your country?
Does nationalism always lead to racism?

✈️ Social Awareness Topics on Migration & Refugees

Migration can have a beneficial effect on a host country’s economy. For instance, migrants can provide vital additional workforce. But an overflow of newcomers can also lead to problems. Most notably, it affects a nations’ cultural and social landscapes. “How should we deal with refugees?” is one of the most challenging political questions today.

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How has migration changed over the past 20 years?
Mexican immigration as a political controversy.
Why do migrants from the Middle East face more prejudice than those from Central Europe?
Describe the types of events that can cause major forced displacement .
How should governments plan for migration?
Why do many people in Europe have a negative attitude towards refugees?
Why are foreign workers important to every nation’s economy?
Effective ways to integrate displaced people.
Critique Arizona’s new immigration laws.
Have refugee camps ever been a solution to the problem?
What drives people to immigrate illegally ?
Should the US’ sanctuary cities be dissolved?
Describe the notion of ecological migration.
Should Europe take in more refugees?
Compare resettlement models in Canada vs. Australia.
What’s the difference between expats and migrants?
What factors make illegal immigration undesirable?
Has the public perception of migrants changed over the past years?
How important is it that immigrants speak their host country’s language?
What does social integration ideally consist of?
Discuss Chinese settlement patterns in America.
The advantages of dropping visa restrictions.
How did 9/11 affect the public’s perception of the global movement?
Is it morally right to marry someone just for their passport?
Do illegal immigrants negatively impact their host country’s society?
Does migration cause destabilization?
What does the claim “no one is illegal” advocate?
How does the American green card lottery work?
Should a child born in a foreign country automatically receive citizenship ?
American society wouldn’t exist without immigration . Why is it still so hostile towards foreigners?
Explore the link between global movement and the spread of diseases.
Should the government use taxpayer money to upskill refugees ?
Immigrants in Toronto: social and economic challenges.
Can expats from a distinct cultural background ever integrate into a country that doesn’t share their norms?
Discuss the importance of diversity to society.
Is there a connection between immigration rates and crime?
Should expats be eligible for welfare programs ?
Where’s the line between cultural appropriation and integration?
Can binational relationships work?
How do you become a stateless person?
What rights do asylum seekers have in your country?
Is immigration from developing countries a threat to wealthier nations?
Explore moral panics associated with other ethnicities.
What makes Europe attractive to expats?
Describe the common prejudices refugees have to face in Australia.

⚖️ Social Justice Essay Topics on Human Rights

You probably agree that every human deserves access to fundamental rights. Unfortunately, these are continually under threat. And it doesn’t always happen far away from you. Women, the LGBT community, and many others fight for their rights every single day.

Are limitations of human rights during crises justified?
Should we strive to achieve the same rights globally?
Is male circumcision shortly after birth a violation of human rights?
How do you prevent low-income families from sending their children to work ?
Capital punishment vs. the right to live.
Can dictatorships ensure human rights ?

Is using sensitive language incriminating our freedom of speech?
Describe the achievements of Amnesty International.
Should Europe stop business interactions with countries that violate human rights ?
Examine effective ways to combat food shortages in the Global South.
How can governments secure freedom of speech ?
Should access to the internet be included as a fundamental human right?
Are restrictive laws concerning hijabs violating religious freedom ?
Charlie Hebdo and its Muhammad cartoons: did they go too far?
When does satire become harmful?
Examine how human rights are treated in the pornography industry.
Why are LGBT people around the world not granted the same rights as everyone else?
Balancing labor conditions and demand: human rights in the economy.
Who protects stateless persons?
What has changed since the first declaration of human rights?
How was slavery justified back in the day?
Why do women in many countries still not have the same rights as men?
The Handmaid’s Tale : how is the society in Gilead structured?
Discuss how vital the rights to freedom of thought and expression are.
To which rights should prisoners have access to?
Debate the fairness of the utilitarian approach.
How do NGOs help to ensure human rights in Somalia?
Human rights and the Bible : how does the church get away with violations?
Define different perspectives on what constitutes freedom .
What are the most significant human rights issues today?
Ethics and the media: exploiting personal tragedies for attention.
Prisoners are humans, too: rights violations in Guantanamo.
Is combating climate change a human rights issue?
Are cruel traditions such as honor killings justified if they are socially accepted?
How successful is the European Commission of Human Rights?
Is the death penalty a justified measure nowadays?
Should pets have the same rights as humans?
Define the difference between civil and human rights.
If there’s gay pride, why shouldn’t there be straight pride?
Unequal privilege: legal, religious, and social factors.
What would happen if education were free and accessible to everyone?
State terrorism vs. critical terrorism.
Did globalization make us freer?
Is the wellbeing of the majority more important than the wellbeing of a minority?
When, if ever, should men and women have different rights?

🗽 Current Social Issues Topics in America

With its variety of races and cultures, America faces many social issues. Its deeply divided political parties add more fuel to the fire. African American rights and police brutality are some of the most pressing issues in the US today.

Consequences of fortifying the American-Mexican border wall.
Should illegal immigrants always be deported when found?
Is the democratic system in the US in need of reform?
What are the social causes of obesity in the USA?
Negative side effects of the war on drugs .
How important is bipartisan cooperation?
What difference does it make if Russia meddled in the 2016 elections?
Police brutality: reasons and countermeasures.
Discuss the importance of reducing medical costs.
Racism and the police: is it an institutional problem?
What are the strictest cultural taboos in American society?
Are there enough women in American leadership positions?
Is sexism a significant problem in the States?
Describe the consequences of voter fraud.
Should schools teach students to be more patriotic ?
Discuss prescription drug abuse in America.
College student debt : is it a fair price to pay for a good education?
Will police presence in schools help curb violence?
What drugs should be legalized vs. remain illegal?
Debate the quality of political education in your state.
Is fake news a severe problem?
Financial literacy as a compulsory subject in high school.
How do you destigmatize taboo topics in society?
Why do conversations about periods make people feel uncomfortable?
Social causes of eating disorders in adults.
Discuss how various religions can live together peacefully.
Describe the NIMBY phenomenon.
What are the benefits and limitations of needle exchange programs?
Find reasons why peaceful protests turn into violent riots.
Are students in the US nowadays under too much stress ?
What are the harmful effects of urban sprawl ?
Can your vote make a difference?
Do American schools need to offer better sex education classes?
What makes people believe the Earth is flat ?
Why do conspiracy theories spread so quickly nowadays?
Traffic in California: reasons to invest in public transport.
Are charter schools better than public schools?
Compare the most prominent social movements currently active in America.
The legacy of Occupy Wall Street.
Describe the pros and cons of the Green New Deal.
How successful is special education in the US?
What causes gentrification in American cities?
Is immigration a strain on the American job market ?
Tackle the problem of prison overcrowding.
Investigate the effects of ableism in the States.

That’s all we’ve got for you. We hope this article was helpful. Good luck with your essay writing!

🔍 References

Lifestyles & Social Issues: Encyclopedia Britannica
Controversial/Contemporary Issues: How to Write a Research Paper: Campbell University
3 Insights Into Writing about Social Issues: Jane Friedman
Key Issues: eSafety Commissioner
Top 10 Most Common Health Issues: University of Rochester Medical Center
Top 10 Most Important Environmental Issues: Iberdrola.com
War: Social Problems: University of Minnesota
Violence: a Global Public Health Problem: WHO
What Are the Biggest Problems Women Face Today?: Politico Magazine
Issues: National Center for Transgender Equality
List of Issues about Racism: The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Potential implications of Increasing Significance of Migration: EU
The Biggest Issues Facing Migrants Today — and What We Can Do to Solve Them: World Economic Forum
How Americans See Major National Issues: Pew Research Center
Social Issues and Human Rights: United Nations Environment
Crime & Criminal Justice: Brookings
Social Problems: Oxford Academic Press
Criminal Justice: ProPublica
Structural Racism in America: Urban Institute
Racism and Health: American Public Health Association
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List of 20 Good Research Paper Topics Social Issues

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How to Pick Up Proper Social Issue Research Paper Topics

In the modern world, there are a lot of social issues. Poverty, unemployment, crime, corruption, drug addiction, the spread of HIV infection, the threat of technological disasters – all this is not a complete list of those phenomena that cause anxiety and concern in our society. Social problems can be global, affecting the interests of a significant part of humanity, or they may concern the interests of the individual person.

In different historical periods, the list of social problems was different, and these issues were solved in different ways. Your topic for an excellent research paper should, first of all, be relevant and urgent. Think about what issues really matter to today's society and what you personally consider important.

Try to choose something controversial that instantly hooks the audience. Also, don’t forget that you’ll have to bring substantial evidence and arguments for your point of view, so the topic should not be too complicated for you.

Below you’ll find successful examples of social issues to write a research paper on.

The Most Interesting Research Paper Social Issues Topics

Social problems include a huge number of aspects of society. Therefore, you can simply choose what is important to you. Make sure that the chosen topic is of interest to you, and the problem is easy and suitable for research, and then you’ll get an excellent paper.

Here are some ideas of research-worth topics divided into groups:

Social categorization

Is racism still real in the 21st century? Why haven’t we overcome it yet?
Sexual objectification in online ads.
Gender identity: how gender roles have changed and how they will change in the future.
Religious discrimination in the workplace in different countries.
Pay inequality is still a problem. How to solve it?

Cybersecurity

Phishing, scam, blackmailing: how to feel safe in the unsafe Internet.
Cyberbullying: the new face of an old problem. History of cyberbullying.
Identity theft: the problem of the 21st century. How to reduce the risks?
Government control in the digital era: what we must do today in order not to wake up in a cyber-totalitarian state tomorrow.
Prevention of cyberstalking: how to protect yourself.

Top Ideas of Social Issues Research Paper

A variety of social problems allows a research paper writer to pick up those that have not been researched before or take new approaches to those that have already been researched.

In other words, even if it seems to you that everything has been said about this issue, you can still find a blind spot and uncover this question from the other side.

Take a look at social issues that will never lose their relevance:

Medical marijuana: to legalize or not to legalize? All the pros and cons.
Correlation between drug use and domestic violence: the problem is more serious than we all thought.
Modern students still take drugs in college. A feeling of rebellion or personality problems?
Countries that prohibit drugs and countries that decriminalized drugs: what can we learn from them? Can drug prohibition solve the problem in the USA?
Youth drug addiction: explaining the problem.

Poverty and unemployment

Is there a connection between low living standards and high crime rates?
Possible ways of poverty reduction.
The subculture of the poor is becoming a factor in destabilizing society. Explain why.
What is the impact of poverty and unemployment on the US economy?
Why does unemployment exist even in the most prosperous countries?

Writing a social issues research paper requires a very creative approach, great curiosity, the skills to think outside the box as well as the ability to process a large amount of information and find unusual sources.

But still, it is not as difficult as you might think. Just choose a suitable topic and make sure that you have an idea about the issue you’re going to study in your paper.

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The State of Social Enterprise: A Review of Global Data 2013–2023

This report provides a comprehensive synthesis of the global state of social enterprise, using data from more than 80 countries gathered between 2013 and 2023. It aims to inform policy-makers and business leaders about the underestimated contribution of social enterprise towards global GDP, employment and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Social enterprise stands at the intersection of business and social good, spearheading innovative solutions that not only generate economic value but also drive significant social and environmental impact.

The global data gathered for this report indicates that there are approximately 10 million social enterprises across the world, generating around $2 trillion in revenue each year and creating nearly 200 million jobs. Social enterprises are also bridging the gender gap, with one in two social enterprises worldwide led by women, compared to one in five for conventional enterprises.

In addition to uncovering important insights, this report reveals gaps and challenges in social enterprise data. These include the availability and quality of data, the comparability of the available data and the difficulty of quantifying social and environmental value creation. Addressing these challenges will be critical to gaining a clearer understanding of the state of social enterprise globally.

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A Research Guide
Research Paper Examples

Social Issues Paper Examples Collection

International migration, inclusion and exclusion.

I would like to emphasize the importance of the integrative approaches, including forced migration studies, migrant network analysis and the migration development nexus. Because these approaches would help our understanding of international migration. Firstly, I will start with forced migration studies. I think this study is more suitable for the story. Because most of the problems that he faced is...

Words: 1244 | Pages: 6

Work Place Harassment: Types, Concequenses And Solutions

Abstract Work place harassment that is getting ‘harass’ or ‘bully ‘in the work place by one of the co-worker or employee or third party or sometimes even by the employers. It is a serious problem which is increasing rapidly in the industry. It does not easily come in the lime light because of the people’s powers and their approach and...

Words: 1912 | Pages: 8

A Short Guide to Critical Race Theory

The categorization of race in the societies and cultures has been in the circle of questions after the civil rights movement of the 1960s in the USA. Racism is a term used for the belief of superiority that one race assumes over the other and has been criticised by many scholars of equal civil rights and liberty. So, criticism against...

Words: 2191 | Pages: 10

Homelessness in America

Institution Affiliate Homelessness in America is a persistent, complex, and widely-occurring problem that incorporates many economic, social, and psychological dimensions. After years of war and economic decline, the ranks of the homelessness have grown to include families with children (35%), military veterans (23%), children (25%), persons fleeing domestic violence (30%), and the mentally ill (20-25%) (National Student Campaign, 2012). Additionally,...

Words: 2381 | Pages: 10

Commentary on ‘The Hands of the Blacks’ by Luis Bernardo Honwana

For many centuries, theories have been propounded about the true nature of the black race. How did they come about? Are they human like other races? If so, why are they so different? Although evidences have proven over and over again that the black race is not different from any other race, aside from a few physical attributes that is,...

Words: 1665 | Pages: 7

The Fight for Women’s Suffrage

As early as 1776 during the drafting of the declaration of independence, the cry for inclusion of women began. Abigail Adams asked her husband John and his camaraderie to “remember the ladies”. However, it was not until much later in the 1920 that woman gained suffrage with the Nineteenth Amendment’s ratification. The history of women’s suffrage lasted a century following...

Words: 1351 | Pages: 6

Feminism and the Structure of Power

Feminism refers to a collection of ideologies as well as movements which tend to share common goals, to establish, define, and achieve equal economic, political, cultural, social and also personal rights for women. This therefore seeks to establish opportunities that are equal for women in both education and employment (Eagleton, 2010). Feminist advocates and also supports both the equality and...

Words: 731 | Pages: 4

Bullying and Its Effects on Learning and Development in Australian Primary School

Executive Summary In a world where the society prides itself in engaging with people from all over the world and shunning discrimination, it is unfathomable that bullying continues in primary schools. Australia is a developed country where the best learning models are adopted by the school systems adopted in these countries. However, there are numerous cases of bullying in primary...

Words: 3349 | Pages: 14

Impact of Elizabeth Cady Stanton in Women Rights and Suffrage Movement

Women rights for some time were violated with men being preferred in all endeavors to women. This led to the formation of women movements made of human rights activists especially those of women. The rights movements’ history in the united states dates back in the 1840s when women started championing for their rights. Women suffrage (otherwise called women's entitlement to...

Words: 2187 | Pages: 10

State’s Obligations Under International Human Rights

What happens when a state's obligations under international human rights law conflict with its obligations under general international law? On December 1948, the National General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and this strengthened the international human rights movement. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights spelled out the common standards which should be achieved by all people of...

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Social Issues Research Paper Topics

The best research paper social issues topics for a+ result.

Searching for interesting and engaging research paper social issues topics that are also easy to do? We can surely help you with this! We’ve compiled an extensive list of 70 great research topics within social issues.

Social issues are an important field to continuously research. As humanity is facing more and more existential threats, we have to consider all potential solutions. Even you working on a paper topic will contribute to this matter.

How to Select Research Paper Social Issues Topics

With such a large number of social issues topics for a research paper, you might feel lost and confused. Don’t, instead, follow these steps to decide on a social issues topic for your research paper.

Know Your Strengths

Firstly, consider your personal strengths and preferences before going through social issues topics. You’re more likely to get an A+ by doing a research paper on a social issues topic that inspires you. If you decide on a social issues topic that doesn’t generate many ideas, then you’ll struggle with the research paper.

Look for Relevant Sources

Search for information online on the social issues topics that you like the most for your research paper. If you still can’t decide on a single one, pick the topic of the social issue that has more information online.

Refer to Requirements

Before doing any work on your research paper – closely review the requirements. You don’t want to waste time writing the topic of the social issue and then having to heavily edit the research paper. By following the requirements, you’re eliminating the need to rework your social research paper later.

Plan Your Time

Lastly, before writing anything in the paper on the topic, create a plan for the research paper’s completion. This way, the work on the social issue’s topic and paper will be structured, focused, and organized.

30 Current Social Issues Research Paper Topics

These 30 social issues topics are highly interesting and beneficial to use in your research paper. These are the problems we have to deal with today. Any tutor will appreciate their student choosing one of these social issues topics in their research paper.

Which Moral Values Should Drive the Artificial Intellect in Automated Devices?
Should Someone Regulate the Creation of Artificial Intellect Devices?
The Issue of Certifying Automated Machine’s Safety and Reliability
How Should We Limit Human-Created Algorithms in Robotic Systems?
Is It Necessary for Governments to Monitor and Manage Big Tech Corporations?
How to Protect Privacy in Our Highly Technological World?
The Unemployment Issue: Automation, AI, and Virtual Reality
Will People Be Able to Have Meaningful Lives without Work?
The Future of Democracy: Is It the End of the Beginning?
How Populism is Quickly Eroding Democracy Worldwide
Trump and the Era of Fake News – Can We Believe in Anything Today?
Ideological Bubbles in Online Networks: The Polarization of Society
The Existential Questions That Will Inevitably Come as Automation Prevails
Will the Society Survive the Lack of Work in the Near Future?
If Advanced AI’s Can Do Everything That Humans Can, Then What Will Define Us?
The Question of Making People Benefit from Automation and AI Rather Than Suffer
Can Open-Source Code Initiatives Stump the Evolution and Development of Tech?
How Fake Videos Will Continue to Misguide the Public Opinion in the Near Future
The Monopolistic Competition in Big Tech Kill Almost All New Start-Ups
Electric Car Production Is Still Significantly Bad for the Environment
The Increasing Gap between the Rich and Impoverished People
How Changing Climate Can Reverse Equality Efforts Across Fields
Can International Communities Resist Protectionism and March on with Globalization?
The Epidemic on the Roads – Car Crash Fatality Figures Are Overwhelmingly Big
Changing Cities to Better Suit the Less-Industrialized Society of Today
The Ways to Address the Rising Nativism and Fascism Tendencies
How Supporting Innovative Research Is Essential in Keeping the Trust of People in Science
Anti-Scientism – A Deadly Though Movement Threatening Society
Maintaining a Local Identity in a Globalized World
The Task of Communicating Complex Research to the Public Comprehensibly

30 Social Issues Topics for Research Paper

Looking for something else for your research paper? Here are 30 more social issues topics that tackle other aspects of our lives.

The Talks about Immigration and Refugees Stay at a Basic Level
The Governments Don’t Do Enough to Sufficiently Address Refugee Problems
The Ageing of Populations in Asia and Lack of Workers in the Region
The Ongoing Problem of Integrating Newcomers into Established Cultures
Neighborhood Organization and Governance – A New Sociopolitical Institution
What Are Business Improvement Districts and Where Did They Come From?
The Benefits of Employing Statistics for Efficient City Planning
The Unrealistic Urban Planning in Africa and Middle Asia
Why is Urbanization in Africa Is a Time-Ticking Bomb?
How the Lack of Everyday Citizen Involvement Dooms the Development of Africa
The Worsening Safety of Long-Distance Travel – Diseases and Pollution
Alienation in the Modern World: A Lack of Human Connection in Today’s Society
The Need for Public Spaces in Cities, Which Promote Human Interaction
The Potential Benefits and Dangers of Gene Editing
Upgrading Human Genomes: Should It Be Outright Banned?
The Risk of Oversimplifying Public Problems of Today and Barring Ourselves from Progress
Human Activity is Killing Animals Needed for Essential Crops: How to Avoid This Fate?
Should Modern Genetics Be Used to Destroy Animal Threats to Humanity?
Environment and Its Relation to Infant and Maternal Mortality
Health and Social Services Have to Receive More Funding
How Technological Advancement May Be Causing Higher Suicide and Addiction Rates
The Dangers of Tunnel-Vision in Science Purely for Science Progress
The Difficulty of Pushing Culture Forwards Alongside the Scientific Advancements
Are We Relying Too Much on Synthesized Drugs and Killing Our Natural Defenses?
Digital Divide and Bubbles Prevent Scientific Breakthroughs from Becoming Popular
Our Global Vulnerability to Fatal Microbial Dangers: Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19
How to Promote Vaccination When Anti-Vaccination Movement Is on the Rise?
Is Digitizing Human Beings a Bad Idea?
The Problem of Ownership Media Accounts After Death
How Online Media Is a Bad Agent in the Global Polarization of Communities

BONUS: More Winning Topics for Successful Writing

Still not satisfied with the social issues topics you saw just now? Want more topics for your research paper? Here are more social issues research paper topics for your consideration.

The Ongoing Battle for Sustainability: The Paris Green Accord
How Can We Significantly Diminish Global Carbon Emissions?
Urban Planning with Environment in Mind
How to Make Governments Care about the Environment?
How National Protectionism Is a Blow to Environmental Efforts
The Most Used Economic Theories Ignores the Resource Limits of Present on Earth
Dwindling Water Resources and How We Can Deal with This Issue
Capitalism Has to Be Re-Innovated to Address Environmental and Public Needs
We Must Support Africa in its Development to Avoid More Environmental Crises
The Most Realistic Alternative Energy Sources in the Future Demand

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Social Problems in the US Research Paper

View sample sociology research paper on social problems in the US. Browse other research paper examples for more inspiration. If you need a thorough research paper written according to all the academic standards, you can always turn to our experienced writers for help. This is how your paper can get an A! Feel free to contact our custom writing service for professional assistance. We offer high-quality assignments for reasonable rates.

The study of social problems in the United States is no doubt one of the most difficult to summarize and analyze within sociology. In contrast to family sociology, criminology, social stratification, the sociology of sport, and so on, the study of social problems is always shifting in terms of what is included or excluded as the focus of study. But there is also the matter of shifting perspectives and theories within all the core issues within the field of social problems, such as racial discrimination, crime and delinquency, and sexual deviance, to name only a few of what have been among the core issues in the study of social problems in America.

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In what follows, we will briefly consider how social problems have been studied in early American history and then consider how social problems have been defined in sociology textbooks and look at the trends in these textbooks over the years. In the second half of this research paper, we will examine more critically how the particular pattern of American values have influenced our definitions of social problems, along with the impact of wealth and power on these definitions. With this examination of wealth and power, we will consider the impact of social movements on what comes to be defined as social problems. A complete understanding of the impact of social movements, however, also requires brief consideration of the causes of social movements. Finally, we will consider how solutions to social problems are also shaped by power, wealth, and American value orientations.

A Brief History of the Study of Social Problems in the United States

The first book in the United States with the title Social Problems was mostly likely that by Henry George, first published in 1883 (George 1939). But sociologists such as George Herbert Mead were already discussing the nature of social problems and the need for social reform in the late 1800s (see Mead 1899; Schwendinger and Schwendinger 1974:452–56). As industrialization took off dramatically in the final two decades of the nineteenth century, so did many conditions that came to be defined as social problems, such as urban poverty, unemployment, and crime. As the great historian Hofstader (1955) noted, it was soon after this that the United States entered one of its reoccurring cycles of reform movements (also see Garraty 1978). It was also a time when sociology was emerging as a major discipline of academic study in the United States (Gouldner 1970; Schwendinger and Schwendinger 1974). The timing of these two events is no doubt a reason why the study of social problems became one of the major subareas in American sociology. But it was also the unique set of utilitarian and individualistic values in the United States that affected the development of American sociology. A crusading spirit accompanied the emergence of American sociology, with many of the early American sociologists coming from Christian clergy backgrounds to a new secular orientation toward understanding the problems of the newly industrialized nation (Gouldner 1970).

It was also a liberal critique of the American society rooted in the early discipline of U.S. sociology, different from that found in European sociology. From the midnineteenth century, European sociology had developed with the full range of perspectives, from radical critiques of basic institutions provided by Marx to conservative support of the status quo from the likes of Herbert Spencer. American sociology through the first half of the twentieth century, in contrast, “came to dwell on those concrete institutional areas and social problems” (Gouldner 1970:93) accepted by the dominate society from a perspective of how to make them work better rather than suggesting basic change. “Indeed, nothing like Marxian sociology was even recognized by American sociology until well after World War II” (McLellan 1973). There were, of course, Marxian perspectives among European immigrants and the early labor movement in the United States, but little of this found its way into academic halls. It is telling that Talcott Parsons’s major book, designed to introduce Americans to European sociology in the early 1930s, had not one mention of Marx or Marxian theory (Parsons 1937). To this day, social problems are not considered a major subarea in European sociology or offered as a course in many European universities. The exception to this was sociology in the old Soviet Union, where the Soviet government found the social problem orientation of functional sociology a useful perspective for “fine-tuning” the Soviet society without criticism of the basic Soviet institutions (Gouldner 1970:447–52).

What is a Social Problem? Textbook Definitions

Standard “textbook” definitions of social problems are generally grouped into three categories, with the second two categories most often used by sociologists themselves. As we will consider in the following, however, there are many more underlying assumptions about the nature of society and humans that shape what sociologists as well as the general public come to define as social problems.

The public generally sees a social problem as any condition that is harmful to society; but the matter is not so simple, for the meanings of such everyday terms as harm and society are far from clear. Social conditions that some people see as a problem harm some segments of society but are beneficial to others. Take trade policy as an example. Shareholders and others affiliated with multinational corporate manufacturers typically argue that any kind of trade restriction is a problem because government regulation interferes with the free enterprise system and drives up costs to consumers. On the other hand, domestic workers and manufacturers argue that the government’s failure to exclude products produced in low-cost nations is a social problem because it costs jobs and hurts domestic business. As we will discuss in more detail later, one person’s social problem, in other words, is often another person’s solution. In fact, most people and organizations define something as a social problem only if it harms (or seems to harm) their own interests.

Sociologists have tried to take a less biased approach with mixed results. Most of the early sociological works on social problems held that a social problem exists when there is a sizable difference between the ideals of a society and its actual achievements. From this perspective, social problems are created by the failure to close the gap between the way people want things to be and the way things really are. Thus, racial discrimination is a social problem because although we believe that everyone should receive fair and equal treatment, some groups are still denied equal access to education, employment, and housing. Before this definition can be applied, however, someone must first examine the ideals and values of society and then decide whether these goals are being achieved. From this perspective, sociologists and other experts thus decide what is or is not a problem because they believe they are the ones with the skills necessary for measuring the desires and achievements of society (see Merton and Nisbet 1971).

Critics of this approach point out that no contemporary society has a single, unified set of values and ideals. When using this definition, sociologists must therefore decide which standards they will use for judging whether or not a certain condition is a social problem. Critics charge that those ideals and values used as standards are selected on the basis of the researcher’s personal opinions and prejudices, not objective analysis.

The “social constructivists,” who have become the dominant school in social problems research, take a different position, holding that a social problem exists when a significant number of people believe that a certain condition is in fact a problem. Here, the public (not a sociologist) decides what is or is not a social problem. The sociologist’s job is to determine which problems affect a substantial number of people. Thus, in this view, pollution did not become a social problem until environmental activists and news reports attracted the public’s attention to conditions that had actually existed for some time (see Blumer 1971; Spector and Kitsuse 1973).

The advantage of this definition is that it does not require a value judgment by sociologists who try to decide what is and is not a social problem: Such decisions are made by “the public.” However, a shortcoming of this approach is that the public is often uninformed or misguided and does not clearly understand its problems. If thousands of people were being poisoned by radiation leaking from a nuclear power plant but didn’t know it, wouldn’t that still be a social problem? A potentially more serious shortcoming of this approach is its hidden political bias. Obviously, in a mass society it is not simply the seriousness of the problem that wins it public attention but the way the corporate media present it. Furthermore, relatively powerless groups with little money or political organization are not able to get their problems recognized as social problems in the way that dominant groups can. Sociologists using the constructivist approach in the study of social problems creation have generally been very sensitive to the role power plays in this process, but researchers focusing more narrowly on individual social problems have often unreflectively accepted the definitions of problematic conditions provided by funding agencies or popular opinion (Galliher and McCartney 1973; Useem 1976a, 1976b; Kerbo 1981, 2006a:254–59).

But even these conflicting views of how social problems are to be defined miss important underlying assumptions that influence what people come to define as a social problem. These underlying assumptions account for how social problems are differently conceived across societies, through history, and across lines such as race, class, and religion within societies at one particular time. And it must be recognized that sociologists have also been influenced by these underlying and often hidden assumptions about humans and societies.

The Field Today: Trends in “Social Problems” Textbooks

The question of which problems are serious enough to warrant sociological attention has been a difficult and controversial one over the years. We will consider this issue from another perspective in the following. But for now, we can note that the pressure of social movements is one of four interwoven factors that determined which problems draw the most sociological attention. The public’s perception of its problems is a second important factor that, of course, is strongly influenced by the media of mass communication. Space does not permit an exploration of all the factors that influence the media’s decisions to turn its attention on one problem and not another, but certainly the corporate interests of the media conglomerates and the various political and financial pressures to which they are exposed are of prime importance (see, for example, Domhoff 2006, on the “policy formation process”). But in addition to the media, the public’s perception of social problems is also shaped by the actual experiences of everyday people. So a third factor is the social crises that have a wrenching impact on the public from time to time, as well as the ongoing contradictions of industrial capitalism. In January of 2001, for example, terrorism was not mentioned as a major problem in the Gallup Poll, but by the start of 2002, it was the number one problem identified by the respondents. With the start of the Iraq war the following year, warfare and international tension replaced terrorism on the list of national concerns. In 2001, less than 0.5 percent of the poll respondents mentioned warfare and international tensions as the nation’s most serious problem, but by 2003, 35 percent did so (Gallup 2004). A final factor involves the sociologists who are selecting the problems for consideration.

Since most practicing sociologists hold some kind of academic position, they function as semi-independent intellectuals in the arena of social problems creation. As such, they have considerably more independence (although less visibility and influence) than scientists and advocates working for the corporations or other special interest groups. But as noted in the foregoing, they are, nonetheless, still constrained by the need to obtain financial support for their research and the political climate of their universities. The paradigmatic shift that has occurred in sociology in the last 50 years as it moved away from the functionalist perspective to a more critical conflict orientation has certainly been an important influence both in the problems that are given attention and in the ways in which they are analyzed.

Since the focus of ociological research itself is determined as much by the priorities of the funding agencies as by the sociologists who carry it out, one of the best guides to the changes in sociological concerns is the content of the social problems textbooks. A comparison of contemporary texts with those from the earlier decades of the postwar era shows that although organizational styles and definitions vary, there is a significant group of problems that have maintained consistent sociological attention. If any social problems can be said to occupy the center of sociological concern, they are the ones related to crime and deviance. Certain types of crime and deviance were given more coverage in one era than another, but all the major texts have an extensive coverage of this topic. Other constants are the problems of the family, ethnic relations, population, and poverty or economic inequality. A second group of problems appears in some texts but not in others without any clear chronological pattern of increasing or decreasing attention. Surprisingly, given their importance in public opinion polls, economic problems other than poverty are not consistently covered. Other problems in this category include those of urbanization, sexuality, and education.

Finally, a third group of problems has shown an increase or decrease in sociological interest over the years. The first edition of the best-selling text by Horton and Leslie (1955) had chapters on two problems that are not seen in later texts: “Religious Problems and Conflicts” and “Civil Liberties and Subversion” (the focus of the latter being primarily on the dangers of communism). New social movements during this period also brought new problems to the foreground. By the time Joseph Julian’s text replaced Horton and Leslie as the top seller in the 1970s, several new problems had joined the core of sociological interest. In response to the rise of the environmental movement, Julian’s (1973) first edition contained a chapter on environmental problems—something that became a mainstay of social problems texts either on its own or with a presentation of population growth as a social problem. The feminist movement succeeded in adding another critical topic— gender inequity—to the mainstream texts. The extremely influential text, edited by Robert K. Merton and Robert Nisbet (1976), first added a chapter on gender in its fourth edition, and Julian (1977) added a similar chapter the following year. More recently, there has been growing attention to the problems faced by gays and lesbians, even though this topic has generally not been treated in an independent chapter of its own. Although chapters on the problems of aging are not quite as common, they also started showing up around the 1970s.

The main focus of most of these texts, like that of American sociology itself, has been on domestic issues, but there have been some important changes there as well. As the memories of World War II began to fade, there was some decline in interest in events beyond America’s borders. Horton and Leslie originally had two chapters with an international focus, “Population” and “Warfare and International Organization,” as did the Merton and Nisbet text in its early editions. In 1976, however, Merton and Nisbet replaced their chapter on “Warfare and Disarmament” with a chapter on “Violence,” which focused on criminal behavior, and Julian never had a chapter on warfare. However, as the process of globalization won increasing public attention in the 1990s, this trend was slowly reversed. Not only did many of the texts begin including more comparative material, but some added a chapter on global inequality as Coleman and Cressey (1993) did in their fifth edition.

Three overall trends are therefore evident in the sociological study of social problems in North America. As just indicated, one trend has been toward greater inclusivity. First African Americans, then other ethnic minorities, then women, and finally gays and lesbians have slowly won inclusion in what was originally an exclusively white male vision of the world. A second trend has been the slow expansion of sociological horizons to recognize the importance of environmental concerns as well as to take a more global perspective.

A third trend, not as easily recognizable from our previous analysis, has been an underlying paradigmatic shift. To the extent that they used any explicit theoretical approach, the earlier texts were based on functionalist assumptions. Following Horton and Leslie (1955:27–32), they tended to argue that there were three theoretical approaches to social problems: social disorganization, personal deviance, and value conflict. The value-conflict approach should not, however, be confused with contemporary conflict theory inspired by Marxian thought. Its basic assumptions were clearly functionalist: Society needed value consensus, and “value conflict” was therefore a cause of social conflict (Fuller and Myers 1941). As sociology slowly adopted a more critical perspective, a few books with an exclusively conflict orientation were published, and for most of the other textbooks, this tripartite approach was recast. The social disorganization approach was expanded and renamed to include all functionalist theory. The personal deviance approach expanded to become the interactionist approach, which had less of a functionalist cast and included other social psychological phenomena in addition to deviance. Finally, the issue of value conflict was subsumed under the much broader and more critical umbrella of a conflict approach (for example, see Coleman and Cressey 1980).

Of the new trends that seem to be developing for the twenty-first century, an increasing globalization perspective is most important. There is now greater recognition that for the United States, globalization is creating new social problems or making old ones such as poverty and unemployment worse. The movement of U.S. factories overseas and outsourcing of all kinds of work have helped reduce wages for the bottom half of the American labor force (see Kerbo 2006b:chaps. 2 and 3). In addition to this, the antiglobalization movements of recent years, as well as research on the negative impact of globalization for developing countries (Kerbo 2006b:chap. 4), have brought greater attention to the subjects of world poverty, environmental pollution, and global migration for most books on social problems. With global inequality expected to continue increasing for many years into the twenty-first century, the trend will likely become more pronounced.

Paradigm Assumptions and Defining Social Problems

In his classic work The Sociological Imagination, C. Wright Mills (1959) argued we should distinguish between “‘the personal troubles of milieu’ and ‘the public issues of social structure’” (p. 8). For him, of course, it was “the public issues of social structure” that should be the focus of sociology when defining the nature of a social problem. Mills offered this example:

In these terms, consider unemployment. When, in a city of 100,000, only one man is unemployed, that is his personal trouble, and for its relief we properly look to the character of the man . . . But when in a nation of 50 million employees, 15 million men are unemployed, that is an issue . . . Both the correct statement of the problem and the range of possible solutions require us to consider the economic and political institutions of the society, and not merely the personal situation and character of a scatter of individuals. (P. 9)

Mills, obviously, offers a definition of social problems that focuses on the breakdown of basic social institutions that must take care of individuals and assure the survival of the society and its social institutions. His plea for a focus on social institutions seems straightforward and obvious; but he made such a plea because of the particular aspects of American culture that create a bias against this focus.

It has long been recognized that power (generally defined) and values interact to determine what comes to be seen as social problems. Those with wealth and influence in government and/or the mass media in modern societies are the ones most able to shape what the society comes to view as a social problem. But there are many forms of influence held by those below the top ranks in the society, making the study of social problems overlap with the study of social movements. Several years ago, for example, one of the basic American social problems textbooks employed the title Social Problems as Social Movements (Mauss 1975). As we will consider in the following, however, assuming that social movements help define social problems is also problematic because of the complex set of forces that make the emergence of social movements possible. But in addition to this, the recognition that social movements help define social problems continues to neglect the question of cultural assumptions and values that make one country, in one historical epic, view conditions differently for people in other times and places, as well as neglect the ability of those with wealth and power to shape the perspective on the causes and solutions to social problems once they have been defined as such.

Sociological analyses of sociology itself, a form of “deconstructionism” popular among professional sociologists during the 1960s and 1970s, long before the current fad in humanities, has shown that “paradigm assumptions” or “metatheoretical assumptions” shape all sociological theories at least to some degree (Gouldner 1970; Strasser 1976; Ritzer 2005). And while all scientific disciplines are influenced by these political, religious, or cultural assumptions (Kuhn 1970), these assumptions shape some fields within the social sciences to a greater extent than others. Theories and research on politically sensitive subjects such as crime and poverty, along with most subjects within the general area of social problems, are most influenced by these paradigm assumptions (Galliher and McCartney 1973; Useem 1976a, 1976b; Kerbo 1981).

To understand theories and research on social problems in the American society, it is first important to examine some of the general American values that shape views on these subjects. Various international opinion polls show the following: Americans have the highest scores on (1) individualism (Hofstede 1991), (2) beliefs in the existence of equality of opportunity, (3) beliefs that government cannot and should not reduce inequality or poverty (Ladd and Bowman 1998), and (4) beliefs that high levels of poverty and inequality are acceptable (Verba et al. 1987; Ladd and Bowman 1998). For the study of social problems in general, this has meant that American values suggest that individuals themselves are responsible for their problems rather than some aspect of the society or basic institutions. In contrast to the early appeals of C. Wright Mills noted in the foregoing, content analyses of articles on social problems published in American sociology journals through the second half of the twentieth century confirm that the focus tends to be on the characteristics of individuals rather than problems of society (Galliher and McCartney 1973; Useem 1976a, 1976b; Kerbo 1981, 2006a:254–59).

This research also shows that it is not simply the views of sociologists themselves that set the trend toward blaming the characteristics of individuals for social problems as much as the assumptions of funding agencies; most social science research is funded by government agencies and private foundations that are more interested in controlling social problems rather than changing aspects of the society that are often at the root of social problems (Kerbo 1981). Interviews with social scientists indicate that they are most often conducting research on questions that they know will get funding rather than on what they think are the most important sociological questions or subjects in which they are most interested (Useem 1976a, 1976b). What this research suggests is that while the rich and powerful may not always define what is seen as a social problem, they do have extensive influence over what we think are the causes and solutions to social problems. They help set the research agendas, what gets research attention, and what gets talked about in government circles and the mass media through this influence on the social sciences through research funding (see Domhoff 2006:77–132).

This is not to say, however, that the assumptions and interests of the less affluent and politically powerless do not shape what we come to define as social problems. For example, an abundance of research has shown that the civil rights movements of the 1960s, and especially the violent demonstrations and riots of that period, shaped the American society’s definition of poverty as a social problem (Piven and Cloward 1971, 1977). Indeed, several studies have shown strong correlations between urban riots of the 1960s and the expansion of welfare benefits to the poor (Betz 1974; Kelly and Snyder 1980; Isaac and Kelly 1981).

The tie between social movements and what comes to be defined as social problems is especially critical in the United States. Compared with the rest of the industrialized world, of course, a much smaller percentage of Americans tend to vote during national elections. But an even bigger contrast to other industrialized nations is the class makeup of those who do vote in the United States: Toward the upper-income levels, some 70–80 percent of Americans who are eligible to vote do so, compared with 30 percent or less for people with a below-average income. This is not the case with other industrial societies, where the voter turnout is about the same at every income level (Piven and Cloward 1988, 2000; Kerbo and Gonzalez 2003). This is to say, therefore, that when the less affluent and less politically powerful in the United States have influenced definitions of social problems, it has been comparatively more often done in the streets than through the political process.

The Causes of Social Movements and Their Impact on Definitions of Social Problems

Recognizing that social movements are important in identifying what a society comes to view as a social problem forces us to ask how social movements themselves emerge. It is not our intent to review all the literature on the causes of social movements, but a brief summary of this literature is essential when considering how social problems have been defined in the United States.

For many years the study of social movements was dominated by theories based on some form of “deprivation” argument. In other words, social movements were seen to emerge and attract widespread membership because participants felt a sense of anger or outrage at their condition. Recognizing that long-standing deprivations do not always or even often spark widespread social movement activity (such as decades or centuries of discrimination and exploitation of a minority group by the majority), most deprivation theories of social movements attempted to explain how some type of change leads to a redefinition of the situation. The most popular of this type of theory has been called “relative deprivation theory” or “J-curve theory” (Davies 1962, 1969; Gurr 1970). During the early 1800s, Tocqueville (1955) recognized that, ironically, social movements and revolutions tend to emerge when conditions are actually improving. More recent refinements of “relative deprivation theory” distinguish between what is called “value expectations” and “value capabilities.” When value capabilities are low (such as high levels of poverty) and have been so for a long period of time, people come to accept their situation or assume improvements are unlikely or impossible. People in deprived situations are often, even likely, to be persuaded that they themselves are responsible for their condition and thus have no one else to blame (Piven and Cloward 1971; Gans 1972). This is to say that low-value capabilities are usually associated with lowvalue expectations over long periods of time. Thus, to understand the emergence of social movements, relative deprivation theories suggest the need to understand how value capabilities and value expectations move apart.

Obviously, the gap between the two can develop because value capabilities worsen (such as a big jump in unemployment of the working class), thus creating a gap between previous expectations and newly lowered capabilities. Faced with a sudden crisis, people seldom assume their situation is hopeless or that they deserve their worsening situation. However, as Tocqueville (1955) was first to recognize, social movements and revolutions actually seem to occur when long-standing conditions of deprivation are actually improving. Refinement of relative deprivation–type theories has come to suggest that improving conditions quickly raise levels of expectation, but improving conditions seldom occur without fluctuation, meaning that a sudden downturn in improving conditions creates the gap between value capabilities and value expectations. It is anger or fear that improvements finally achieved will be short lived that motivate more and more people to join a social movement.

While research has shown that some form of “relative deprivation” seems to have preceded many social movements, others have noted that this is not always the case— nor is anger or a sense of deprivation in and of itself usually sufficient to make a social movement. In recent years, what is generally referred to as “resource mobilization theory” has become much more popular among sociologists attempting to explain the development and spread of social movements (for original development of the perspective, see McCarthy and Zald 1977). In its basics, resource mobilization theory is a form of conflict theory focused on the balance of power between authorities (or the more powerful in a society) and those with possible grievances. Reduced power of authorities, increased power among those with a grievance, or both can lead to a strong social movement.

The concept of “resources” in resource mobilization theory refers to any value or condition that can be used to the advantage of a group. Obviously important are such things as money, publicity, arms, and the ability to interact with and organize larger numbers of people for the cause. In one of the first studies using resource mobilization theory, for example, Paige (1975) was able to show that certain kinds of crops and certain types of agricultural organization (such as wet rice agriculture with absentee landowners) are more likely associated with peasant revolts and revolutions because of the ability peasants have to interact freely, share common grievances, and be organized to oppose landowners. Likewise, the loss of legitimacy and the ability to punish opponents or hide information are conditions that reduce the power and resources of authorities. Ted Gurr (1970) has produced a long list of possible resources that includes things such as terrain (ability to hide or ability of authorities to uncover rebels), food supplies, and outside allies that can influence the power and size of social movements.

Perhaps more than any other social movement in recent American history, the new resource mobilization theory of social movements led to a reanalysis of the civil rights movement. Because of this extensive reanalysis of the causes of the civil rights movement, it is worth considering in more detail here how a particular social problem, racism and discrimination, came to be widely defined as a social problem in the second half of the twentieth century.

Civil Rights Movement

Considering the importance of the civil rights movement in the United States for defining racism, discrimination, and poverty as social problems, it is useful to consider how this social movement emerged and to consider the value of the social movement theories described in the foregoing.

Relative deprivation theory has some success in explaining why the more violent stage of the civil rights movement emerged in the mid-1960s. Sociologists using this perspective argue that the more violent stage of the civil rights movement was in response to a white “backlash” that resulted in some setbacks to the earlier achievements of the civil rights movement from the 1950s (Davies 1969). However, relative deprivation theory has difficulty in explaining why the civil rights movement suddenly appeared in the early 1950s, while so many other attempted social movements by black Americans failed in earlier American history. In recent years, research has shown resource mobilization theory to be a powerful tool in understanding why the civil rights movement became widespread and powerful when and where it did so (McAdam 1982).

In summary, the civil rights movement benefited from several changes that occurred in the American society after World War II. Among the most important changes was agricultural mechanization, which moved a majority of black Americans from rural areas and agricultural jobs into large cities all over the United States. Larger concentrations of black Americans in urban areas provided the ability to reach and organize far greater numbers of social movement participants than before. A key to organizational ability was also found in the huge churches dominated by black Americans in large cities in the southern United States. These black churches made possible organization within the denomination and across churches all over the South. At the same time, these large black churches provided support for social movement participants and their families when they were jailed or injured in social movement activities.

Among other new resources in the 1950s were more mass-media exposure to actions against black Americans and social movement activities that had remained relatively hidden in small cities and rural areas throughout the South in previous generations. But related to this was political change, as the Democratic Party lost its previously solid majority in the South. To counter this loss, the Democratic Party decided to “go for” new urban concentrations of potential black votes in the late 1950s. It was politicalization of black grievances in the presidential election of 1960 that gave black social movement activists more resources of many kinds and John F. Kennedy the presidency in one of the closest elections when newly organized black voters gave him overwhelming support.

Movements of Affluence

The foregoing analysis of social movements and their causes as instrumental in defining what comes to be seen as a social problem, however, should not be seen as reinforcing the common assumption that social movements are primarily by and for the poor and oppressed. We must recognize the distinction between what has been called “movements of crisis” and “movements of affluence” (Kerbo 1982). Most movements of crisis are made up of people who face critical problems such as poverty, discrimination, or some other deprivation. Most movements of affluence, on the other hand, involve people who are relatively comfortable, if not affluent, and have the luxury of devoting their attention and energy on “moral issues.” Current social movements in the United States that are usually pushed by people on the political right (such as the anti-abortion movement) as well as the political left (such as the environmental movement and antiglobalization) must be included among these movements of affluence, which focus on moral issues or issues that are not of immediate harm to individual social movement participants.

Solutions to Social Problems

We can conclude with an examination of what are considered “solutions” to social problems. While the possible solutions to social problems are seldom recognized, they are equally, if not more, shaped by power and influence in a society. Over the last four decades in the United States, the extent and seriousness of many, if not most, social problems have remained relatively unchanged. For example, while violent crime and property crime have dropped in recent years, violent crime especially remains at high levels compared with other industrial nations. Drug use has gone up and down within only a narrow range. Teenage pregnancy has dropped only slightly. Poverty rates have ranged between 11 and 15 percent of the American population in the last 40 years, among the highest in the industrialized world. These continuing high levels of social problems in the United States might suggest that relatively little has been learned about the subject in the last half century of sociological research. The reality, however, is quite different. Even more complex than definitions of social problems is finding solutions that do not adversely affect groups with more political and/or economic power or impinge on important values of the dominant group in the society. Consideration of possible solutions to poverty and inequality will be useful in demonstrating the point.

In most of the original European Union countries, poverty rates are substantially below the American rates. Using the purchasing power parity (PPP) method of estimating currency values, and using the poverty line established by the U.S. Census Bureau (roughly $11 per day per person), during the late 1990s (the most recent years we have data for several European countries) the U.S. poverty rate was over 13 percent, compared with about 7 percent in Germany and the Netherlands and around 4 percent in Scandinavian countries (Smeeding, Rainwater, and Burtless 2001:51). But while the American poverty rates are comparatively high, unemployment at around 4 to 5 percent in the same time period was low compared to over 10 percent unemployment in most original EU countries. There are two interacting explanations for this: First, in contrast to the United States, European labor unions are strong enough to force government action to keep poverty low even at the expense of higher unemployment rates (Esping-Anderson 1990; Thelen 1991; Goodin et al. 1999; Kerbo and Gonzalez 2003). Second, opinion polls indicate that Europeans are more concerned than are Americans about high inequality and poverty among their citizens and believe that governments have the responsibility to reduce poverty and inequality (Verba et al. 1987; Ladd and Bowman 1998). These two explanations are also behind the figures we see in Table 1. Without government action, poverty rates in Europe would be about the same or even higher than in the United States. But government interventions in Europe reduce poverty rates by 50 to 80 percent, compared with only a 28 percent reduction in the United States. Not surprisingly, the EU country with the weakest unions today and values closest to the United States, the United Kingdom, has the lowest rate of reducing poverty through government action in Europe and, using the PPP $11 per day poverty line, a poverty rate of 15.7 percent compared with 13.6 percent in the same time period in the United States (Smeeding et al. 2001:51).

Social Problems in the US Research Paper

The contrast between Germany and the United States is most clear. The influence of the American corporate elite, in the context of American values stressing individualism, has led the American public to generally accept the argument that the government should not be allowed to raise taxes, increase unemployment benefits, or raise minimum-wage laws to reduce poverty. Rather, the argument is that corporations and the rich should be left alone as much as possible to generate wealth that will then expand job opportunities that will reduce poverty among Americans. (For a broader discussion of this German vs. American contrast, see Kerbo and Strasser 2000, Kerbo 2006b:chap. 3.) In Germany, by contrast, the power of labor unions and labor laws already instituted with labor union pressure will not allow such government inaction as a presumed solution to the problem of poverty.

Another example can be briefly considered. Several studies indicate that high employment rates are instrumental in producing crime (Blau and Blau 1982; Williams 1984), which at least in part helps explain the lower crime rates in the United States from the early 1990s to the present. Thus, a guaranteed job after release from prison would significantly reduce the rate of recidivism. But since the 1930s, American politicians have not been willing to create employment through government programs in times of high unemployment or guarantee jobs to felons released from prison. The American corporate elite have been successful in blocking such government job guarantees or jobs created by government, even though it is clear this would be one viable solution to high rates of crime.

There are many other examples: Decriminalizing drugs would likely help reduce both property crime and drug addiction as it has in some European countries, and more sex education and freer access to condoms would help reduce teenage pregnancy rates, which are far higher in the United States than in Europe. But as with definitions of what is or is not a social problem, power and influence in combination with particular societal value orientations that can be exploited by those with power are also involved with what come to be viewed as accepted solutions to social problems.

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Essay On Social Issues

500 words essay on social issues.

Social Issues is an undesirable state which opposes society or a certain part of society. It refers to an unwanted situation that frequently results in problems and continues to harm society . Social issues can cause a lot of problems that can be beyond the control of just one person. Through an essay on social issues, we will learn why they are harmful and what types of social issues we face.

Drawbacks of Social Issues

Social issues have a lot of drawbacks that harms our society. They are situations that have an adverse and damaging result on our society. They arise when the public leaves nature or society from an ideal situation.

If you look closely, you will realize that almost all types of social issues have common origins. In the sense that they all are interconnected somehow. Meaning to say, if one solves the other one is also most likely to resolve.

Social issues have a massive lousy effect on our society and ultimately, it affects all of us. In order to solve some social issues, we need a common approach. No society is free from social issues, almost every one of them has some social issue or the other.

For instance, in India, you will find a lot of social issues which the country is facing. It ranges from the caste system to child labour and gender inequality to religious conflicts. Thus, we are going through a critical time where we all must come together to free our society from undesirable social evils.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Major Social Issues

There are a lot of social issues we are facing right now, some more prominent than the others. First of all, poverty is a worldwide issue. It gives birth to a lot of other social issues which we must try to get away with at the earliest.

Further, countries like India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and more are facing the issue of the caste system since times unknown. It results in a lot of caste violence and inequality which takes the lives of many on a daily basis.

Moreover, child labour is another major social issue that damages the lives of young children. Similarly, illiteracy also ruins the lives of many by destroying their chances of a bright future.

In developing countries mostly, child marriage still exists and is responsible for ruining many lives. Similarly, dowry is a very serious and common social issue that almost all classes of people partake in.

Another prominent social issue is gender inequality which takes away many opportunities from deserving people. Domestic violence especially against women is a serious social issue we must all fight against.

Other social issues include starvation, child sex abuse, religious conflicts, child trafficking, terrorism , overpopulation, untouchability, communalism and many more. It is high time we end these social issues.

Conclusion of the Essay on Social Issues

A society can successfully end social issues if they become adamant. These social issues act as a barrier to the progress of society. Thus, we must all come together to fight against them and put them to an end for the greater good.

FAQ on Essay on Social Issues

Question 1: What is the meaning of social problem?

Answer 1: A social problem refers to any condition or behaviour which has a negative impact on a large number of people. It is normally recognized as a condition or behaviour that needs to be addressed.

Question 2: What are the effects of social issues?

Answer 2: Social issues affect our society adversely. Most importantly, it disturbs the harmony of society and gives rise to hostility and suspicion. Moreover, it creates large-scale social dissatisfaction, suffering and misery.

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Writing Survey Questions

Perhaps the most important part of the survey process is the creation of questions that accurately measure the opinions, experiences and behaviors of the public. Accurate random sampling will be wasted if the information gathered is built on a shaky foundation of ambiguous or biased questions. Creating good measures involves both writing good questions and organizing them to form the questionnaire.

Questionnaire design is a multistage process that requires attention to many details at once. Designing the questionnaire is complicated because surveys can ask about topics in varying degrees of detail, questions can be asked in different ways, and questions asked earlier in a survey may influence how people respond to later questions. Researchers are also often interested in measuring change over time and therefore must be attentive to how opinions or behaviors have been measured in prior surveys.

Surveyors may conduct pilot tests or focus groups in the early stages of questionnaire development in order to better understand how people think about an issue or comprehend a question. Pretesting a survey is an essential step in the questionnaire design process to evaluate how people respond to the overall questionnaire and specific questions, especially when questions are being introduced for the first time.

For many years, surveyors approached questionnaire design as an art, but substantial research over the past forty years has demonstrated that there is a lot of science involved in crafting a good survey questionnaire. Here, we discuss the pitfalls and best practices of designing questionnaires.

Question development

There are several steps involved in developing a survey questionnaire. The first is identifying what topics will be covered in the survey. For Pew Research Center surveys, this involves thinking about what is happening in our nation and the world and what will be relevant to the public, policymakers and the media. We also track opinion on a variety of issues over time so we often ensure that we update these trends on a regular basis to better understand whether people’s opinions are changing.

At Pew Research Center, questionnaire development is a collaborative and iterative process where staff meet to discuss drafts of the questionnaire several times over the course of its development. We frequently test new survey questions ahead of time through qualitative research methods such as focus groups , cognitive interviews, pretesting (often using an online, opt-in sample ), or a combination of these approaches. Researchers use insights from this testing to refine questions before they are asked in a production survey, such as on the ATP.

Measuring change over time

Many surveyors want to track changes over time in people’s attitudes, opinions and behaviors. To measure change, questions are asked at two or more points in time. A cross-sectional design surveys different people in the same population at multiple points in time. A panel, such as the ATP, surveys the same people over time. However, it is common for the set of people in survey panels to change over time as new panelists are added and some prior panelists drop out. Many of the questions in Pew Research Center surveys have been asked in prior polls. Asking the same questions at different points in time allows us to report on changes in the overall views of the general public (or a subset of the public, such as registered voters, men or Black Americans), or what we call “trending the data”.

When measuring change over time, it is important to use the same question wording and to be sensitive to where the question is asked in the questionnaire to maintain a similar context as when the question was asked previously (see question wording and question order for further information). All of our survey reports include a topline questionnaire that provides the exact question wording and sequencing, along with results from the current survey and previous surveys in which we asked the question.

The Center’s transition from conducting U.S. surveys by live telephone interviewing to an online panel (around 2014 to 2020) complicated some opinion trends, but not others. Opinion trends that ask about sensitive topics (e.g., personal finances or attending religious services ) or that elicited volunteered answers (e.g., “neither” or “don’t know”) over the phone tended to show larger differences than other trends when shifting from phone polls to the online ATP. The Center adopted several strategies for coping with changes to data trends that may be related to this change in methodology. If there is evidence suggesting that a change in a trend stems from switching from phone to online measurement, Center reports flag that possibility for readers to try to head off confusion or erroneous conclusions.

Open- and closed-ended questions

One of the most significant decisions that can affect how people answer questions is whether the question is posed as an open-ended question, where respondents provide a response in their own words, or a closed-ended question, where they are asked to choose from a list of answer choices.

For example, in a poll conducted after the 2008 presidential election, people responded very differently to two versions of the question: “What one issue mattered most to you in deciding how you voted for president?” One was closed-ended and the other open-ended. In the closed-ended version, respondents were provided five options and could volunteer an option not on the list.

When explicitly offered the economy as a response, more than half of respondents (58%) chose this answer; only 35% of those who responded to the open-ended version volunteered the economy. Moreover, among those asked the closed-ended version, fewer than one-in-ten (8%) provided a response other than the five they were read. By contrast, fully 43% of those asked the open-ended version provided a response not listed in the closed-ended version of the question. All of the other issues were chosen at least slightly more often when explicitly offered in the closed-ended version than in the open-ended version. (Also see “High Marks for the Campaign, a High Bar for Obama” for more information.)

Researchers will sometimes conduct a pilot study using open-ended questions to discover which answers are most common. They will then develop closed-ended questions based off that pilot study that include the most common responses as answer choices. In this way, the questions may better reflect what the public is thinking, how they view a particular issue, or bring certain issues to light that the researchers may not have been aware of.

When asking closed-ended questions, the choice of options provided, how each option is described, the number of response options offered, and the order in which options are read can all influence how people respond. One example of the impact of how categories are defined can be found in a Pew Research Center poll conducted in January 2002. When half of the sample was asked whether it was “more important for President Bush to focus on domestic policy or foreign policy,” 52% chose domestic policy while only 34% said foreign policy. When the category “foreign policy” was narrowed to a specific aspect – “the war on terrorism” – far more people chose it; only 33% chose domestic policy while 52% chose the war on terrorism.

In most circumstances, the number of answer choices should be kept to a relatively small number – just four or perhaps five at most – especially in telephone surveys. Psychological research indicates that people have a hard time keeping more than this number of choices in mind at one time. When the question is asking about an objective fact and/or demographics, such as the religious affiliation of the respondent, more categories can be used. In fact, they are encouraged to ensure inclusivity. For example, Pew Research Center’s standard religion questions include more than 12 different categories, beginning with the most common affiliations (Protestant and Catholic). Most respondents have no trouble with this question because they can expect to see their religious group within that list in a self-administered survey.

In addition to the number and choice of response options offered, the order of answer categories can influence how people respond to closed-ended questions. Research suggests that in telephone surveys respondents more frequently choose items heard later in a list (a “recency effect”), and in self-administered surveys, they tend to choose items at the top of the list (a “primacy” effect).

Because of concerns about the effects of category order on responses to closed-ended questions, many sets of response options in Pew Research Center’s surveys are programmed to be randomized to ensure that the options are not asked in the same order for each respondent. Rotating or randomizing means that questions or items in a list are not asked in the same order to each respondent. Answers to questions are sometimes affected by questions that precede them. By presenting questions in a different order to each respondent, we ensure that each question gets asked in the same context as every other question the same number of times (e.g., first, last or any position in between). This does not eliminate the potential impact of previous questions on the current question, but it does ensure that this bias is spread randomly across all of the questions or items in the list. For instance, in the example discussed above about what issue mattered most in people’s vote, the order of the five issues in the closed-ended version of the question was randomized so that no one issue appeared early or late in the list for all respondents. Randomization of response items does not eliminate order effects, but it does ensure that this type of bias is spread randomly.

Questions with ordinal response categories – those with an underlying order (e.g., excellent, good, only fair, poor OR very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly unfavorable, very unfavorable) – are generally not randomized because the order of the categories conveys important information to help respondents answer the question. Generally, these types of scales should be presented in order so respondents can easily place their responses along the continuum, but the order can be reversed for some respondents. For example, in one of Pew Research Center’s questions about abortion, half of the sample is asked whether abortion should be “legal in all cases, legal in most cases, illegal in most cases, illegal in all cases,” while the other half of the sample is asked the same question with the response categories read in reverse order, starting with “illegal in all cases.” Again, reversing the order does not eliminate the recency effect but distributes it randomly across the population.

Question wording

The choice of words and phrases in a question is critical in expressing the meaning and intent of the question to the respondent and ensuring that all respondents interpret the question the same way. Even small wording differences can substantially affect the answers people provide.

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An example of a wording difference that had a significant impact on responses comes from a January 2003 Pew Research Center survey. When people were asked whether they would “favor or oppose taking military action in Iraq to end Saddam Hussein’s rule,” 68% said they favored military action while 25% said they opposed military action. However, when asked whether they would “favor or oppose taking military action in Iraq to end Saddam Hussein’s rule even if it meant that U.S. forces might suffer thousands of casualties, ” responses were dramatically different; only 43% said they favored military action, while 48% said they opposed it. The introduction of U.S. casualties altered the context of the question and influenced whether people favored or opposed military action in Iraq.

There has been a substantial amount of research to gauge the impact of different ways of asking questions and how to minimize differences in the way respondents interpret what is being asked. The issues related to question wording are more numerous than can be treated adequately in this short space, but below are a few of the important things to consider:

First, it is important to ask questions that are clear and specific and that each respondent will be able to answer. If a question is open-ended, it should be evident to respondents that they can answer in their own words and what type of response they should provide (an issue or problem, a month, number of days, etc.). Closed-ended questions should include all reasonable responses (i.e., the list of options is exhaustive) and the response categories should not overlap (i.e., response options should be mutually exclusive). Further, it is important to discern when it is best to use forced-choice close-ended questions (often denoted with a radio button in online surveys) versus “select-all-that-apply” lists (or check-all boxes). A 2019 Center study found that forced-choice questions tend to yield more accurate responses, especially for sensitive questions. Based on that research, the Center generally avoids using select-all-that-apply questions.

It is also important to ask only one question at a time. Questions that ask respondents to evaluate more than one concept (known as double-barreled questions) – such as “How much confidence do you have in President Obama to handle domestic and foreign policy?” – are difficult for respondents to answer and often lead to responses that are difficult to interpret. In this example, it would be more effective to ask two separate questions, one about domestic policy and another about foreign policy.

In general, questions that use simple and concrete language are more easily understood by respondents. It is especially important to consider the education level of the survey population when thinking about how easy it will be for respondents to interpret and answer a question. Double negatives (e.g., do you favor or oppose not allowing gays and lesbians to legally marry) or unfamiliar abbreviations or jargon (e.g., ANWR instead of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) can result in respondent confusion and should be avoided.

Similarly, it is important to consider whether certain words may be viewed as biased or potentially offensive to some respondents, as well as the emotional reaction that some words may provoke. For example, in a 2005 Pew Research Center survey, 51% of respondents said they favored “making it legal for doctors to give terminally ill patients the means to end their lives,” but only 44% said they favored “making it legal for doctors to assist terminally ill patients in committing suicide.” Although both versions of the question are asking about the same thing, the reaction of respondents was different. In another example, respondents have reacted differently to questions using the word “welfare” as opposed to the more generic “assistance to the poor.” Several experiments have shown that there is much greater public support for expanding “assistance to the poor” than for expanding “welfare.”

We often write two versions of a question and ask half of the survey sample one version of the question and the other half the second version. Thus, we say we have two forms of the questionnaire. Respondents are assigned randomly to receive either form, so we can assume that the two groups of respondents are essentially identical. On questions where two versions are used, significant differences in the answers between the two forms tell us that the difference is a result of the way we worded the two versions.

One of the most common formats used in survey questions is the “agree-disagree” format. In this type of question, respondents are asked whether they agree or disagree with a particular statement. Research has shown that, compared with the better educated and better informed, less educated and less informed respondents have a greater tendency to agree with such statements. This is sometimes called an “acquiescence bias” (since some kinds of respondents are more likely to acquiesce to the assertion than are others). This behavior is even more pronounced when there’s an interviewer present, rather than when the survey is self-administered. A better practice is to offer respondents a choice between alternative statements. A Pew Research Center experiment with one of its routinely asked values questions illustrates the difference that question format can make. Not only does the forced choice format yield a very different result overall from the agree-disagree format, but the pattern of answers between respondents with more or less formal education also tends to be very different.

One other challenge in developing questionnaires is what is called “social desirability bias.” People have a natural tendency to want to be accepted and liked, and this may lead people to provide inaccurate answers to questions that deal with sensitive subjects. Research has shown that respondents understate alcohol and drug use, tax evasion and racial bias. They also may overstate church attendance, charitable contributions and the likelihood that they will vote in an election. Researchers attempt to account for this potential bias in crafting questions about these topics. For instance, when Pew Research Center surveys ask about past voting behavior, it is important to note that circumstances may have prevented the respondent from voting: “In the 2012 presidential election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, did things come up that kept you from voting, or did you happen to vote?” The choice of response options can also make it easier for people to be honest. For example, a question about church attendance might include three of six response options that indicate infrequent attendance. Research has also shown that social desirability bias can be greater when an interviewer is present (e.g., telephone and face-to-face surveys) than when respondents complete the survey themselves (e.g., paper and web surveys).

Lastly, because slight modifications in question wording can affect responses, identical question wording should be used when the intention is to compare results to those from earlier surveys. Similarly, because question wording and responses can vary based on the mode used to survey respondents, researchers should carefully evaluate the likely effects on trend measurements if a different survey mode will be used to assess change in opinion over time.

Question order

Once the survey questions are developed, particular attention should be paid to how they are ordered in the questionnaire. Surveyors must be attentive to how questions early in a questionnaire may have unintended effects on how respondents answer subsequent questions. Researchers have demonstrated that the order in which questions are asked can influence how people respond; earlier questions can unintentionally provide context for the questions that follow (these effects are called “order effects”).

One kind of order effect can be seen in responses to open-ended questions. Pew Research Center surveys generally ask open-ended questions about national problems, opinions about leaders and similar topics near the beginning of the questionnaire. If closed-ended questions that relate to the topic are placed before the open-ended question, respondents are much more likely to mention concepts or considerations raised in those earlier questions when responding to the open-ended question.

For closed-ended opinion questions, there are two main types of order effects: contrast effects ( where the order results in greater differences in responses), and assimilation effects (where responses are more similar as a result of their order).

An example of a contrast effect can be seen in a Pew Research Center poll conducted in October 2003, a dozen years before same-sex marriage was legalized in the U.S. That poll found that people were more likely to favor allowing gays and lesbians to enter into legal agreements that give them the same rights as married couples when this question was asked after one about whether they favored or opposed allowing gays and lesbians to marry (45% favored legal agreements when asked after the marriage question, but 37% favored legal agreements without the immediate preceding context of a question about same-sex marriage). Responses to the question about same-sex marriage, meanwhile, were not significantly affected by its placement before or after the legal agreements question.

Another experiment embedded in a December 2008 Pew Research Center poll also resulted in a contrast effect. When people were asked “All in all, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in this country today?” immediately after having been asked “Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?”; 88% said they were dissatisfied, compared with only 78% without the context of the prior question.

Responses to presidential approval remained relatively unchanged whether national satisfaction was asked before or after it. A similar finding occurred in December 2004 when both satisfaction and presidential approval were much higher (57% were dissatisfied when Bush approval was asked first vs. 51% when general satisfaction was asked first).

Several studies also have shown that asking a more specific question before a more general question (e.g., asking about happiness with one’s marriage before asking about one’s overall happiness) can result in a contrast effect. Although some exceptions have been found, people tend to avoid redundancy by excluding the more specific question from the general rating.

Assimilation effects occur when responses to two questions are more consistent or closer together because of their placement in the questionnaire. We found an example of an assimilation effect in a Pew Research Center poll conducted in November 2008 when we asked whether Republican leaders should work with Obama or stand up to him on important issues and whether Democratic leaders should work with Republican leaders or stand up to them on important issues. People were more likely to say that Republican leaders should work with Obama when the question was preceded by the one asking what Democratic leaders should do in working with Republican leaders (81% vs. 66%). However, when people were first asked about Republican leaders working with Obama, fewer said that Democratic leaders should work with Republican leaders (71% vs. 82%).

The order questions are asked is of particular importance when tracking trends over time. As a result, care should be taken to ensure that the context is similar each time a question is asked. Modifying the context of the question could call into question any observed changes over time (see measuring change over time for more information).

A questionnaire, like a conversation, should be grouped by topic and unfold in a logical order. It is often helpful to begin the survey with simple questions that respondents will find interesting and engaging. Throughout the survey, an effort should be made to keep the survey interesting and not overburden respondents with several difficult questions right after one another. Demographic questions such as income, education or age should not be asked near the beginning of a survey unless they are needed to determine eligibility for the survey or for routing respondents through particular sections of the questionnaire. Even then, it is best to precede such items with more interesting and engaging questions. One virtue of survey panels like the ATP is that demographic questions usually only need to be asked once a year, not in each survey.

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