20 Sociology Research Topics for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 33 minutes ago
- 7 min read
If you are in high school and thinking about sociology, doing research can be one of the most practical and beneficial things you can try. It gives you a chance to study something you see in your everyday life in more depth.
Before you pick a single topic, it helps to explore multiple possibilities. Comparing different ideas lets you see which questions you can answer with the time and resources you have and which ones will let you learn something useful. Starting with a range of topics also makes it easier to spot a project that feels manageable and meaningful.
Why should I do sociology research in high school?
Doing sociology research in high school helps you build handy skills that you’ll carry into college and later work. You learn how to plan your time, work through long projects, and think carefully about social issues. Completing an independent research project also shows your ability to take initiative and follow through, which can strengthen your academic profile.
If you plan to study sociology or related fields later, this experience also gives you a head start. It helps you become familiar with how social research is designed and conducted. You also get to read and use real academic work, which can make your later studies easier to manage.
Research experience can also be useful beyond school. Many jobs and graduate programs value people who can collect information, analyze it clearly, and write about it in an organized way. Doing a small sociology project in high school gives you a chance to practice all of that in a way that connects to real situations and people.
With that, here are 20 sociology research topics for high school students!
20 Sociology Research Topics for High School Students
The Role of Family Structure in Shaping Adolescent Behavior
Explore how living in a single-parent, blended, or two-parent household affects adolescents’ academic motivation, emotional health, and social behavior. You could analyze how different family structures influence coping mechanisms, self-esteem, and peer relationships. Using surveys or interviews, you can test correlations between family environment and outcomes like discipline, communication, and independence.
The Evolution of Gender Norms in American Society
Investigate how gender expectations have shifted from the 1970s to today, using sources such as advertisements, films, and school policies. This research helps you trace how masculinity and femininity are socially constructed and redefined over time. By analyzing media or conducting interviews with different generations, you can identify patterns of gender representation and power.
The Influence of Celebrity Culture on Teen Aspirations and Values
Explore how influencers, actors, and musicians shape how teens think about success, beauty, and lifestyle. You can look at how social media algorithms, fan culture, or advertising affect the way teens form opinions and make choices. This topic connects sociology with media and consumer behavior and helps you understand how celebrity images shape identity among young people.
The Sociology of School Cliques and Social Hierarchies
Study how social groups in high school form and how students fit into them. You can look at what shapes labels like “popular,” “artsy,” or “academic,” and how inclusion or exclusion works in these groups. Using interviews or social mapping, you can explore how power and status move through school networks. This topic helps you connect everyday social interactions to larger ideas about class and identity.
The Digital Divide: Technology Access and Educational Inequality
Study how differences in access to technology affect students’ learning and opportunities. This can include internet speed, device ownership, and how comfortable parents are with using digital tools. You can compare experiences across urban and rural schools, or between public and private institutions, to see how these gaps show up in real life. You’ll get a clearer sense of how technology affects learning and how it can create advantages or barriers for different students.
Social Media Activism and Youth Political Engagement
Explore how platforms like Instagram and X (Twitter) have become tools for civic participation among young people. You can study how hashtags, challenges, and digital campaigns mobilize teens around issues like climate change or gender equality. This project helps you understand the concept of digital citizenship and the sociology of social movements.
The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Mental Health in Teenagers
Investigate how family income, parental education, or neighborhood quality impacts adolescents’ stress levels and access to mental health resources. You can use survey data or interviews to identify disparities in coping mechanisms and support systems. This topic combines social inequality with health sociology.
The Impact of Part-Time Jobs on Teen Social Development
Analyze how having a part-time job during high school affects social life, school performance, and plans. You can compare students who work with those who don’t to see how early work experience shapes things like time management, responsibility, and relationships with peers. This project lets you study real-life patterns and trends in teen life, connecting ideas from education and work in a way you can observe and measure.
Cultural Assimilation Among First-Generation Immigrant Students
Examine how first-generation immigrant teens navigate identity, language, and belonging in new educational and cultural environments. You could use interviews or ethnographic observation to understand how cultural retention and adaptation shape their experiences. This project explores themes of identity, marginalization, and community.
Peer Pressure and Risk-Taking Behavior in Adolescents
Examine how friends and peer groups shape the choices teens make in school, fashion, or activities that involve risk, like substance use. You can create surveys or conduct interviews to track how students respond to pressure, whether they follow the group, or try to go against it. This project lets you see patterns in how teens balance fitting in with making their own decisions and gives insight into the social dynamics that guide everyday choices.
The Effects of Remote Learning on Student Socialization
Explore how virtual classrooms have changed the way students interact, collaborate, and form friendships. You can compare in-person and online learning environments to assess how social distance affects communication and belonging. This project blends educational sociology with technology studies. It’s a relevant and moderately challenging topic that examines how digital schooling reshapes peer relationships and collective learning.
Representation of Race and Ethnicity in Popular Media
Analyze how television, movies, and advertising portray racial and ethnic groups, focusing on stereotypes, inclusion, or cultural authenticity. This topic allows you to apply content analysis and sociological theories of race. It’s ideal for students interested in cultural sociology, critical media studies, and issues of diversity and representation. You’ll develop analytical skills in examining systemic bias within visual storytelling.
The Sociology of Fashion and Group Identity
Investigate how clothing choices reflect social belonging, rebellion, or economic class among teens. You can observe dress codes in different school settings or survey peers about self-expression through fashion. This project introduces theories of consumer culture, social signaling, and symbolic communication. It’s a fun yet academically grounded topic that combines sociology with cultural trends.
Social Mobility and Access to Higher Education
Study how factors like parental income, first-generation status, and school quality affect students’ chances of attending college. You can analyze educational pathways and social inequality using available data or interviews. This topic connects structural sociology with educational reform. It’s a challenging, data-oriented topic that highlights the intersection of opportunity, privilege, and policy.
Religion and Moral Decision-Making Among Teenagers
Explore how religious beliefs influence ethical choices about honesty, friendship, or social justice. You can compare perspectives across different faith traditions or between religious and non-religious students. This research introduces you to the sociology of religion and moral philosophy, teaching you how cultural values shape everyday decision-making. It’s a thoughtful topic for students interested in belief systems and social ethics.
The Role of Sports in Building Community and Identity
Examine how school or neighborhood sports teams foster belonging, teamwork, and local pride. You can analyze how factors like gender, class, and competitiveness shape participation and perception. This topic blends sociology with sports psychology and community studies, offering insights into how shared physical activities strengthen social bonds and collective identity.
Bullying, Power, and Social Control in Schools
Study how bullying reflects power hierarchies and the enforcement of social norms within student groups. Surveys or interviews can help uncover how status, group loyalty, and fear shape bullying dynamics. This project introduces you to sociological theories of deviance, authority, and conflict, offering a critical lens on everyday social regulation in schools.
The Sociology of Aging: Teen Perspectives on the Elderly
Explore how teenagers perceive aging, retirement, and intergenerational relationships. By interviewing older adults and students, you can analyze how stereotypes influence empathy and social cohesion. This study connects age-based inequality to broader social attitudes. It’s an accessible, human-centered topic ideal for understanding social stratification and intergenerational dynamics.
Environmental Awareness and Class Differences in Sustainability Practices
Investigate how income level and education affect people’s environmental habits—like recycling, diet, or transportation choices. You can collect data through observation or short surveys. This research links environmental sociology with class and consumption studies, showing how economic privilege and access shape sustainable behavior.
The Changing Meaning of Friendship in the Digital Age
Study how online communication has transformed what it means to be “friends.” Examine patterns of trust, intimacy, and emotional support in both online and offline friendships. This topic connects sociology, psychology, and digital studies. It’s a modern, relatable research idea that helps you explore how technology reshapes social bonds and emotional connections.
One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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