# Sociologists

> Study human society and social behavior by examining the groups and social institutions that people form, as well as various social, religious, political, and business organizations. May study the behavior and interaction of groups, trace their origin and growth, and analyze the influence of group activities on individual members.

- **SOC code:** 19-3041.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-3041-00
- **Also known as:** Demographer, Medical Sociologist, Social Scientist, Sociologist, Evaluation Specialist, Policy Analyst, Research Associate, Research Coordinator
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Analyze and interpret data to increase the understanding of human social behavior.
- Prepare publications and reports containing research findings.
- Collect data about the attitudes, values, and behaviors of people in groups, using observation, interviews, and review of documents.
- Develop, implement, and evaluate methods of data collection, such as questionnaires or interviews.
- Plan and conduct research to develop and test theories about societal issues such as crime, group relations, poverty, and aging.
- Teach sociology.
- Present research findings at professional meetings.
- Explain sociological research to the general public.
- Develop problem intervention procedures, using techniques such as interviews, consultations, role playing, and participant observation of group interactions.
- Consult with and advise individuals such as administrators, social workers, and legislators regarding social issues and policies, as well as the implications of research findings.
- Direct work of statistical clerks, statisticians, and others who compile and evaluate research data.
- Collaborate with research workers in other disciplines.

**Emerging tasks** (O*NET):
- Mentor sociology students.
- Review sociological research and articles.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Sociology and Anthropology _(knowledge)_
- English Language _(knowledge)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_
- Education and Training _(knowledge)_
- Active Listening _(essential_skill)_
- Speaking _(essential_skill)_
- Written Comprehension _(ability)_
- Written Expression _(ability)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(ability)_
- Reading Comprehension _(essential_skill)_
- Writing _(essential_skill)_

**Skills in demand:**
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Writing _(Common Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Active Learning _(Common Skill)_
- Social Perceptiveness _(Common Skill)_
- Learning Strategies _(Specialized Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Instructing _(Specialized Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Adobe Acrobat _(hot technology)_
- Adobe Photoshop _(hot technology)_
- ESRI ArcGIS software _(hot technology)_
- Facebook _(hot technology)_
- IBM SPSS Statistics _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Access _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Project _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Visio _(hot technology)_

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 93rd percentile (High) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 97th percentile (High) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 82nd percentile (High) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 86th percentile (High) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 24th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** yes — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 3.6% growth (About average); 0.3k annual openings; 3.4k → 3.6k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $101,690; 2,950 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Automation vs augmentation:** 30% automation, 61% augmentation (usage-weighted).
- **Autonomy median:** 4.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).
- **Dominant collaboration mode:** task iteration.

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Prepare publications and reports containing research findings. _(4.2% of measured AI use; task iteration)_
- Develop approaches to the solution of groups' problems, based on research findings in sociology and related disciplines. _(1.6% of measured AI use; learning)_
- Develop problem intervention procedures, using techniques such as interviews, consultations, role playing, and participant observation of group interactions. _(1.3% of measured AI use; learning)_
- Develop, implement, and evaluate methods of data collection, such as questionnaires or interviews. _(1.3% of measured AI use; directive)_
- Plan and conduct research to develop and test theories about societal issues such as crime, group relations, poverty, and aging. _(1.3% of measured AI use; learning)_
- Collaborate with research workers in other disciplines. _(0.3% of measured AI use)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me prepare publications and reports containing research findings.
- Help me develop approaches to the solution of groups' problems, based on research findings in sociology and related disciplines.
- Help me develop problem intervention procedures, using techniques such as interviews, consultations, role playing, and participant observation of group interactions.
- Help me develop, implement, and evaluate methods of data collection, such as questionnaires or interviews.
- Help me plan and conduct research to develop and test theories about societal issues such as crime, group relations, poverty, and aging.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-3041-00_