Political Scientists
Study the origin, development, and operation of political systems. May study topics, such as public opinion, political decisionmaking, and ideology. May analyze the structure and operation of governments, as well as various political entities. May conduct public opinion surveys, analyze election results, or analyze public documents.
5,540 people do this job in the US. $142,080 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 81%
- 19%
- 0%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 8%. Today's estimate: 10%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 14 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Develop and test theories, using information from interviews, newspapers, periodicals, case law, historical papers, polls, or statistical sources.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 33% | 4.2 work days2.1 work days to 1.7 work weeks | 0%Half by Jun 2028 | |
| Teach political science.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 17% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Collect, analyze, and interpret data, such as election results and public opinion surveys, reporting on findings, recommendations, and conclusions.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 11% | 1.7 work days6.7 h to 1 work week | 1%Half by Dec 2027 | |
| Interpret and analyze policies, public issues, legislation, or the operations of governments, businesses, and organizations.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 10% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 2.5 work days | 10%Half by May 2027 | |
| Maintain current knowledge of government policy decisions.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | 95%Half by now | |
| Forecast political, economic, and social trends.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.7 work days6.7 h to 1 work week | 1%Half by Dec 2027 | |
| Disseminate research results through academic publications, written reports, or public presentations.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 work days6.7 h to 1.3 work weeks | 1%Half by Jan 2028 | |
| Evaluate programs and policies, and make related recommendations to institutions and organizations.Done more than yearly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 4% | 1.7 work days5 h to 1 work week | 1%Half by Jan 2028 | |
| Identify issues for research and analysis.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | 38%Half by Nov 2026 | |
| Advise political science students.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 2% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Serve on committees.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 1% | 1.7 h50 min to 4.2 h | 82%Half by now | |
| Consult with and advise government officials, civic bodies, research agencies, the media, political parties, and others concerned with political issues.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 0.6% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).