Academics mingled with politicians and the media at the launch of a new ANU institute for social research.

The Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute (ADSRI) was officially launched at Parliament House by Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Senator the Hon. Ursula Stephens.

Led by demographer Professor Peter McDonald, ADSRI will build on the University’s reputation as the leading Australian demographic research and training institution. Its staff will include demographers, sociologists, economists and social psychologists, all seeking to address some of the big social and demographic issues facing the nation.

Over the next five years, ADSRI will examine the population and social dynamics of Australia and its region in the 21st century, looking in particular at Demographic and social change in Australia and comparative countries, demographic and social change in Asia-pacific countries and Africa, family dynamics and family policy, economic-demographic modelling and e-research into online networks.

ADSRI is also responsible for a number of regular national social surveys in Australia. These include the Australian Survey of Social Attitudes conducted every two years, the World Values Survey and the International Social Survey Programme, the Negotiating the Life Course Survey and the Generations and Gender Survey.

Projects already underway at the institute include research into the long term effect of immigration on economic growth, evaluation of child support reforms and the development of a demographic-economic model for the Productivity Commission.

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