The Center for Social Science Innovation (CSSI) offers a new text-based recruitment service that can advance social science research by enabling researchers to recruit study participants for surveys, interviews, and focus groups via text message.

Violent crime in America has fallen dramatically since the 1990s. On a recent episode of Iowa Public Radio's River to River, Mark Berg, professor of sociology and criminology and director of the Center for Social Science Innovation, and Jason Robey, assistant professor of sociology and criminology and CSSI researcher affiliate, talk about theories behind the great crime decline.

Philip Combiths, assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a CSSI researcher affiliate, is developing a toolkit to give educators and speech-language pathologists a better picture of multilingual children’s language abilities. To get this critical work off the ground, Combiths was selected for last spring’s CSSI Grant Writing Residency Program. The program offers dedicated time and space to write a grant proposal while providing expert feedback and assistance with the submission process.

The Center for Social Science Innovation (CSSI) at the University of Iowa has selected three exceptional doctoral candidates for its 2026-2027 Dissertation Completion Program (DCP). This program supports graduate students as they complete their dissertations and prepare for impactful careers in research, policy, and public service.

A national survey of 1,000 U.S. adults found that artificial intelligence (AI) use is widespread, particularly among adults under 50 and those with a four-year or postgraduate degree. The survey also found that 12% of AI users turn to the technology for companionship or conversation and that these AI companionship users are more likely than other AI users to believe chatbots can rival some abilities of human therapists. The survey was conducted as part of CSSI's SurveyHarvest.

The Center for Social Science Innovation seeks faculty and scientific staff from across disciplines to take part in its annual Grant Writing Residency Program (GWRP). GWRP participants work in residence at our center and collaborate closely with the center's grant development staff to create polished, competitive proposals. Apply by December 4th, 2026.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used by social service agencies to handle cases involving child abuse, intimate partner violence, and elder abuse. But a CLAS researcher and former social worker says the agencies need to establish safeguards to ensure that AI technology does not lead to bias against vulnerable or disadvantaged populations.

Jason Robey, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology and CSSI researcher affiliate, researches what has driven major changes in the criminal justice system and how those lessons could help shape its future.

Jason Robey, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology and CSSI researcher affiliate, had his recent research featured in the article "Surprise: Racial Crime Disparities Have Narrowed a Lot" in the Wall Street Journal.

Nicholas Bowman, professor of higher education and student affairs in the College of Education and a CSSI researcher affiliate, recently published a study examining which characteristics of academic journal articles were associated with being cited in other research articles. Bowman found associations between citation counts and several article characteristics, including its cost to access, length, and title construction.