MINDFUL RESEARCH. HUMAN IMPACT.

Welcome to a Changing World

The Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) is dedicated to discovering how people around the globe live, think, interact, age, invest, and make important, life-changing decisions. Our in-depth research and analysis are deepening the understanding of human behavior in a wide range of economic and social contexts.

Our ultimate goal: to improve social welfare by informing and influencing decision-making in the public and private sectors. Along the way, we are leading a creative revolution in how scientists conduct social science and economic research through the use of innovative technology. Tomorrow is here, today.

CESR

Research, Centers, and Programs

Research Areas

At CESR, our scientists, colleagues and staff pursue compelling, data-driven research in the social sciences and economics that further understanding, policy making and quality of life. In broad terms, our significant areas of interest include:

Aging
Children & Families
Development Economics
Education Economics
Financial Decision Making
Health, Health Disparities, and Socio-Economic Status
Inequality
Mobile Health
Self-Reporting
Subjective Well-Being
Work Disability

Research Areas

Centers and Programs

Behavioral and Health Genomics Center
BEST – Behavioral Economics Studio
BHO – Brain Health Observatory @ USC
CARE – Center for Applied Research in Education
CSS – Center for Self-Report Science
CSHI – Center for the Study of Health Inequality
IGEMS – Interplay of Genes and Environment Across Multiple Studies
Institute for Food System Equity
HALE – Center for Health and Labor Economics
LABarometer
Program for Children and Families
Program on Global Aging, Health, and Policy
SCRAP Lab – Section on Clinical Research in Aging and Psychology

Centers and Programs

Understanding America Study

The USC Understanding America Study (UAS) is creating an in-depth portrayal of the people in the U.S. – their daily lives and their opinions. This 15,000+ Internet panel is yielding insights and information of significant value to policy makers, government agencies, non-profit organizations, opinion pollsters, social science researchers, corporations, and more.

UAS

Featured Researcher – Kyla Thomas

The cultural mechanisms through which social and economic inequalities are reproduced in the labor market.

Because I believe positive social change requires rigorous empirical research.

My first class with my undergraduate mentor, Gabriel Rossman. He introduced me to the sociology of culture and later encouraged me to write a senior thesis.

Employers are much more likely to discriminate on the basis of class-based cultural traits when they are evaluating female applicants for customer-facing jobs.

Things change — Sociologists are far better at explaining why they stay the same.

The relationship between race- and class-based discrimination in U.S. hiring.

Stata

Sticky notes

Leave it all on the field.

Our tolerance for high levels of social and economic inequality.

Tap dancing

Kyla Thomas

Upcoming Events

Seminar & Brown Bag Series, Conferences, Special Events

February 26-28, 2025 | Conference | CIPHER 2025

We’re excited to announce that CIPHER 2025 will be held at USC’s Capital Campus in Washington, D.C. on February 26 – 28.

In its seventh year, the Current Innovations in Probability-based Household Internet Panel Research (CIPHER) Conference continues to be the leading event for discussion, exchange, and learning about probability panels. The event again will bring together researchers and policy-makers from the United States and beyond for a wide-ranging conversation about innovations, challenges, and opportunities in this field.

Location and Format
The joint conference will take place February 26 – 28 at USC’s Capital Campus in Washington D.C. The preliminary program is as follows:

  • February 26: UAS Data Use Workshop
  • February 27: CIPHER and Reception
  • February 28: CIPHER

David Dutwin, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Chief Scientist of AmeriSpeak at NORC at the University of Chicago, will be delivering the keynote on transparency in survey research.
Conference Focus
As in previous years, the conference will focus on the innovations, challenges, and opportunities of population-representative probability-based online panels.

This year’s call for papers focuses on the following areas:

  • Transparency and best practices in probability-based panel recruitment and retention;
  • Survey methodology and practice;
  • Experiments;
  • Data management and linkages;
  • Developments and analysis techniques;
  • Applications of research;
  • Combination of wearable devices data with self-reports;
  • Contextual data;
  • Naturally occurring data; and
  • Machine learning.

UAS Data Use Workshop
In 2025, CIPHER will again offer the Understanding American Study (UAS) data use workshop. This is a half-day workshop for those interested in learning more about the UAS panel and its data and data products. The UAS is a probability-based online panel of over 15,000 respondents in the US, managed by the Center for Economic and Social Research at USC.

Conference Registration and Fees
CIPHER is free to attend in-person or virtually, but registration is required. To register for CIPHER and/or the UAS Data Use Workshop, please complete this form.

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USC University Park Campus

CESR – Los Angeles, CA

635 Downey Way
VPD 305
Los Angeles, CA 90089-3332
Tel: 213.821.1850
Fax: 213.821.2716

USC Capital Campus

CESR East – Washington, DC

1771 N Street NW
WDC 400
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 213.821.0539
Fax: 213.821.2716