Social Science Research Assistants
Assist social scientists in laboratory, survey, and other social science research. May help prepare findings for publication and assist in laboratory analysis, quality control, or data management.
30,640 people do this job in the US. $61,990 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 95%
- 4%
- 1%
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, 14%. Today's estimate: 23%.
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 . 22 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare, manipulate, and manage extensive databases.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 18% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 3.1 work days | 7%Half by Nov 2027 | |
| Design and create special programs for tasks such as statistical analysis and data entry and cleaning.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 15% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 9%Half by Aug 2027 | |
| Perform descriptive and multivariate statistical analyses of data, using computer software.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 12% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | 17%Half by Apr 2027 | |
| Develop and implement research quality control procedures.Done more than yearly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 8% | 6.7 h2.5 h to 2.1 work days | 10%Half by Jun 2027 | |
| Prepare tables, graphs, fact sheets, and written reports summarizing research results.Done more than yearly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 7% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 1 work day | 30%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| Verify the accuracy and validity of data entered in databases, correcting any errors.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 2.5 h50 min to 1 work day | 40%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| Provide assistance with the preparation of project-related reports, manuscripts, and presentations.Done more than yearly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 7% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 15%Half by Jun 2027 | |
| Conduct internet-based and library research.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 5% | 2.5 h50 min to 1 work day | 40%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| Perform data entry and other clerical work as required for project completion.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | 65%Half by now | |
| Code data in preparation for computer entry.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 3% | 2.5 h50 min to 1 work day | 40%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| Track research participants, and perform any necessary follow-up tasks.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | 65%Half by now | |
| Administer standardized tests to research subjects, or interview them to collect research data.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 2% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now |
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).