News about Society

After thousands of years, an iconic whale confronts a new enemy

The iconic tusked whale of the Arctic has a new enemy – noise. A unique study from the University of Copenhagen and the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources shows that narwhals are highly affected by noise from ship…

Millions for research into green transition on the roads

The Independent Research Fund Denmark has allocated almost 12 million to the project GREENCAR, which will show the way to a green transformation of the car sector.

The effect of earmarked parental leave must be researched

The Carlsberg Foundation has granted Jakob Egholt Søgaard, assistant professor at the Department of Economics, 4.5 million DKK for a project that will expand our understanding of the interplay between gender norms and…

How do countries tackle cultural collisions with migrants?

A new project funded by the Carlsberg Foundation will investigate migration from non-western countries and how the host countries handle potential cultural clashes through national policies.

What can curious infants teach us about how we learn?

With a DKK 6.2 million grant from Independent Research Fund Denmark, Cognitive Neuroscientist Katarina Begus will be leading a research project on how infants use their curiosity to learn. The project aims to provide…

Research project will crack the code behind green neighbourhood communities

With support from THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS, new research anchored at the Department of Anthropology will examine how to create green neighbouring communities in housing associations.

Thomas Hylland Eriksen: We are living in an overheated world

The Norwegian social anthropologist Thomas Hylland Eriksen has been proclaimed Honorary Doctor at UCPH. At the heart of his research is the 'overheated globalisation', which he explains here.

We prefer farmed salmon – as long as we don't know what we're eating

A blind taste test by University of Copenhagen researchers demonstrates that Danes prefer the taste of both conventionally and organically farmed smoked salmon over wild-caught salmon. However, the picture is turned…

Prize for best thesis in labour market economics

CEBI PhD Camilla Skovbo Christensen is honoured in the Ministry of Employment for her thesis, ”Retirement Policies and Private Savings Behavior: Evidence from a Reform of the Old-Age Pension Scheme” with co-author…

Schools managed to prevent increased learning gaps during the corona crisis

School closures during the corona crisis had little impact on the reading proficiency of Danish pupils, even when you factor social background into the equation, new analyses conclude.

Artificial intelligence favours white men under 40

Publicly available language models of the sort used for everything from Google and Siri, to insurance and legal casework systematically favour the language of young white men. At the same time, they discriminate in…

Living with chronic disease: Three questions that still need answering

We still lack knowledge on how best to help patients with chronic diseases. Ayo Wahlberg, who just completed a large-scale study on the everyday lives of people living with chronic disease, calls for new initiatives.

What role does music play in future psychedelic treatment?

Thanks to a grant from Independent Research Fund Denmark, psychologist Dea Siggaard Stenbæk will examine how listening to music affects healthy trial subjects whilst receiving treatment with the psychedelic drug…

Danes have reduced meat consumption – but we lag behind other Europeans

A major new survey on meat consumption in Europe reports that Europeans have a growing appetite for plant-based foods and that meat consumption has dipped. While this applies to Denmark as well, Danes lag behind the…

Our computers are sexist towards male and female politicians

Female politicians are often described as 'beautiful' or 'hysterical' in language models, while descriptors like ‘brave' and 'independent' are elicited for their male counterparts. A new analysis by researchers from th…

The gulf between rich and poor is increasing

The economic inequality is decreasing on a global scale, and the gulf between rich and poor is growing fast. This is the conclusion of an international research project with Danish participation.

The green transition starts in your municipality

Local citizens need to be involved in the green transition if the climate crisis is to gain broad public support, researchers argue. Local citizens’ assemblies focussing on climate issues may prove an important part of…

Companies recruit more female board members through family ties

The introduction of a gender quota in Denmark has increased the number of women on company boards, but it also led to more family driven hiring, a new study finds.

New project maps illegal mining and global environmental crime

With a grant from the Independent Research Fund Denmark, researchers from the UCPH will study how minerals are irregularly mined in Ghana and end up in technological products, only to return and dumped as e-waste.

Economics of climate change: One per cent makes a world of difference

Frikk Nesje and his colleagues have created international awareness by building bridges in the political debate as to how much we should invest in the climate.

Vaccine ‘pocket money’ is controversial - but it works

Can a few hundred kroner motivate people to be vaccinated? Yes, to a certain extent, shows a research project anchored in the Center for Economic Behavior and Inequality, University of Copenhagen.

Farmers' share of food prices has fallen

The path from farm to fork is getting longer and longer on a global scale. In fact, most of what we pay for food doesn’t go to those who grow or raise foods, but to food processors, packagers, transporters and others. A…

Vocational education shapes students’ personality

Do young people become more conscientious by getting an education? Yes, if it is a vocational education, a new study reveals.

Study aims to prevent violence against staff working in residential care

Staff working in residential care institutions for children and youth are regularly exposed to violence and threats at work.