Climate change is the result of human actions and choices. Limiting climate change – and protecting people and ecosystems, to the degree possible, from unavoidable changes in the climate – will require smart, and in some cases hard, decisions from members of the public and policy makers. Our research center was created to conduct unbiased social science research that will facilitate such public engagement.

We use social science research methods – experiments, surveys, in-depth interviews and other methods – to find ways of effectively engaging the public and policy makers in the problem, and in considering and enacting solutions. Changing people’s behavior – as consumers, as citizens, and as decision-makers – is notoriously difficult, but many past social change campaigns have been wildly successful. Consider, for example, the declines in smoking and littering, and the increases in seat belt use and recycling over the past few decades. Social science research played important roles in all of these successes.

Our mission is to conduct unbiased public engagement research - and to help government agencies, non-profit organizations, and companies apply the results of this research - so that collectively, we can stabilize our planet's life sustaining climate.