Our focus on practical social science translates into actionable reports and advice to help government, business, non-profits, and philanthropy increase the efficacy of their work. In 2021, as the world oscillated between imagining a return to work and accepting a new normal with limited public contact, we published a series of open-access reports to aid with policy decisions and public understanding of the cultural vectors for information in society. We are also committed to research transparency through our archives, the National Science Digital Library, and other public databases. This year, our work helped shape science learning, news media, and libraries. Three highlights included:

Open Access Data on Financial Education Investments across the U.S.

In February 2021, Knology released an open-access database detailing two-decades of state-level spending on financial education. This new dataset, which we were able to make because of support from the National Endowment for Financial Education, will help decision makers more efficiently conduct research into all aspects of financial education and well-being. By creating links, connections, and alignments between existing open data sources, this resource furthers our commitment to making public data useful.

https://knology.org/article/a-new-history-of-investment-in-financial-education-across-the-united-states

1, 2, 3, SDG at the UN

In Spring 2021, Knology led a global webinar for the Psychology Coalition at the United Nations. As we demonstrated, ensuring food security during times of medical crisis is essential to meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Doing so will require the UN to treat food insecurity not simply as a temporary problem resulting from injury or illness, but as a product of poverty and other chronic challenges. During the webinar, we highlighted the work of our partners at Solid’ Africa. For more on them, see:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gci140PIuJ0

Scale & Policy: How News Shapes Your Views on COVID-19

We closed 2021 with a report on how the media influences public understandings of social issues. Based on an analysis of a New York Daily News story entitled “Omicron Hits City,” we showed how visuals and text can work together to subtly encourage audiences to associate COVID-19 with violence, national security threats, and racialized understandings of disease.

https://knology.org/article/scale-and-policy-how-news-shapes-your-views-on-covid-19/

Photo credit: Bianca Ackermann on Unsplash