Human Wellbeing and Social Sciences

Social sciences help us understand and address Human Wellbeing and our impact on the ecosystem, including:

• People’s beliefs
• People’s preferences
• How and why we interact with the environment.

You can read more about our social science research and efforts here.

We also value and use traditional ways of research and knowledge that are not limited to the western sciences.

Expert Advice

Human Wellbeing is supported by expert advice from social scientists, including:

• The Social Sciences Advisory Committee (SSAC), which includes scientists who recommend how humans can help ecosystem recovery. The SSAC discusses advancements in social science research and monitoring, reviews our materials, and guides our social science efforts.
• Our Science Panel also includes social science experts who make recommendations on applying the best available science and help us decide our priorities for science funding.

Science Work Plan

Our Science Panel writes the Science Work Plan to describe the information, learning, and capacity needed to support efforts to recover, protect, and improve Puget Sound. The Work Plan identifies several  research priorities, including social science and Human Wellbeing . 

You can read more about the Science Work Plan here.

Scientific research funding awards

Funding research into how ecosystem recovery affects us and our daily lives supports our Human Wellbeing work.
Our Science Panel, Science & Evaluation team, Salmon Science team, and Strategic Initiatives and Ecosystem Monitoring Program fund social science and Human Wellbeing monitoring with State and Federally funds.

Example studies can be found on our Social Science Research Effort page.

Last updated: 12/6/24