Political Scientists
Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 19-3094.00
Study the origin, development, and operation of political systems. May study topics, such as public opinion, political decisionmaking, and ideology. May analyze the structure and operation of governments, as well as various political entities. May conduct public opinion surveys, analyze election results, or analyze public documents.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Very high· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.452
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.47
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks only14 rated tasks · 13 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (92.9%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
| Task (O*NET 20.1) | Claude.aiRaw / share % |
|---|---|
Interpret and analyze policies, public issues, legislation, or the operations of governments, businesses, and organizations.19-3094.00 | 0.239167.0 |
Write drafts of legislative proposals, and prepare speeches, correspondence, and policy papers for governmental use.19-3094.00 | 0.02737.7 |
Collect, analyze, and interpret data such as election results and public opinion surveys, reporting on findings, recommendations, and conclusions.19-3094.00 | 0.02497.0 |
Teach political science.19-3094.00 | 0.02306.4 |
Identify issues for research and analysis.19-3094.00 | 0.02075.8 |
Develop and test theories, using information from interviews, newspapers, periodicals, case law, historical papers, polls, or statistical sources.19-3094.00 | 0.01093.1 |
Disseminate research results through academic publications, written reports, or public presentations.19-3094.00 | 0.00581.6 |
Evaluate programs and policies, and make related recommendations to institutions and organizations.19-3094.00 | 0.00501.4 |
| Not observed on any surface — 4 task(s) — These tasks have no row in the source for this release. The 0 in the share row is a display-stage composition ratio; absence is what the — in the raw row states. | |
Maintain current knowledge of government policy decisions. | —0 |
Forecast political, economic, and social trends. | —0 |
Consult with and advise government officials, civic bodies, research agencies, the media, political parties, and others concerned with political issues. | —0 |
Provide media commentary or criticism related to public policy and political issues and events. | —0 |
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Write drafts of legislative proposals, and prepare speeches, correspondence, and policy papers for governmental use.O*NET Task ID 5523 | 1.0 |
Teach political science.O*NET Task ID 5515 | 0.5 |
Disseminate research results through academic publications, written reports, or public presentations.O*NET Task ID 5516 | 0.5 |
Identify issues for research and analysis.O*NET Task ID 5517 | 0.5 |
Develop and test theories, using information from interviews, newspapers, periodicals, case law, historical papers, polls, or statistical sources.O*NET Task ID 5518 | 0.5 |
Maintain current knowledge of government policy decisions.O*NET Task ID 5519 | 0.5 |
Collect, analyze, and interpret data, such as election results and public opinion surveys, reporting on findings, recommendations, and conclusions.O*NET Task ID 5520 | 0.5 |
Interpret and analyze policies, public issues, legislation, or the operations of governments, businesses, and organizations.O*NET Task ID 5521 | 0.5 |
Evaluate programs and policies, and make related recommendations to institutions and organizations.O*NET Task ID 5522 | 0.5 |
Forecast political, economic, and social trends.O*NET Task ID 5524 | 0.5 |
Consult with and advise government officials, civic bodies, research agencies, the media, political parties, and others concerned with political issues.O*NET Task ID 5525 | 0.5 |
Provide media commentary or criticism related to public policy and political issues and events.O*NET Task ID 5526 | 0.5 |
Advise political science students.O*NET Task ID 23949 | 0.5 |
Serve on committees.O*NET Task ID 23950 | 0.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (14)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Teach political science. | Core |
| Disseminate research results through academic publications, written reports, or public presentations. | Core |
| Identify issues for research and analysis. | Core |
| Develop and test theories, using information from interviews, newspapers, periodicals, case law, historical papers, polls, or statistical sources. | Core |
| Maintain current knowledge of government policy decisions. | Core |
| Collect, analyze, and interpret data, such as election results and public opinion surveys, reporting on findings, recommendations, and conclusions. | Core |
| Interpret and analyze policies, public issues, legislation, or the operations of governments, businesses, and organizations. | Core |
| Forecast political, economic, and social trends. | Core |
| Advise political science students. | Core |
| Serve on committees. | Core |
| Evaluate programs and policies, and make related recommendations to institutions and organizations. | Supplemental |
| Write drafts of legislative proposals, and prepare speeches, correspondence, and policy papers for governmental use. | Supplemental |
| Consult with and advise government officials, civic bodies, research agencies, the media, political parties, and others concerned with political issues. | Supplemental |
| Provide media commentary or criticism related to public policy and political issues and events. | Supplemental |
0.00/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
None of this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks is classified as a physical task.
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 6K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 6K
- Change (2025–35)
- -2%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $142,080
- Typical education needed for entry
- Master's degree
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21221 | 정치학 연구원 | Same scope | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 2633Philosophers, Historians and Political Scientists
The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.
Philosophers, historians and political scientists conduct research into the nature of human experience and existence, phases or aspects of human history, and political structures, movements and behaviour. They document and report on findings to inform and guide political and individual actions
Tasks
- (a) researching, mostly by reasoning, into the general causes, principles and meanings of the world, human actions, experience and existence, and interpreting and developing philosophical concepts and theories;
- (b) consulting and comparing primary sources, such as original or contemporary records of past events, and secondary sources such as archaeological or anthropological findings;
- (c) extracting relevant material, checking its authenticity, and researching into and describing the history of a particular period, country or region, or a particular facet - for example economic, social or political - of its history;
- (d) conducting research in such fields as political philosophy, or past and present theory and practice of political systems, institutions or behaviour;
- (e) observing contemporary political institutions and opinions, collecting data on them from various sources, including interviews with government and political party officials and other relevant persons;
- (f) developing theories, models and methods to interpret and describe the nature of human experience and historical and political events and behaviour;
- (g) presenting findings and conclusions for publication or use by government, political parties or other organizations and interested persons;
- (h) preparing scholarly papers and reports.
Example occupations
Genealogist · Historian · Philosopher · Political scientist
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- political scientistESCO 2633.3Same scope
Political scientists study political behaviour, activity and systems, including the elements that fall therein. Their study of the field ranges from the origins and evolution of various political systems to topical matters such as decision-making processes, political behaviour, political trends, society, and power perspectives. They advise governments and institutional organisations on governance matters.
- political affairs officerESCO 2422.11This occupation is broader
Political affairs officers analyse developments in foreign politics and other policy matters, monitor conflicts and consult on mediation measures, as well as other developmental strategies. They write reports to ensure communication with governmental bodies, and develop policies and implementation methods.
- political campaign officerESCO 2432.6This occupation is broader
Political campaign officers provide support during political campaigns, advising the candidate and campaign management staff on campaign strategies and campaign staff coordination, as well as developing advertising and research strategies.
- political journalistESCO 2642.1.15Overlapping, not the same
Political journalists research and write articles about politics and politicians for newspapers, magazines, television and other media. They conduct interviews and attend events.
- sociologistESCO 2632.6Overlapping, not the same
Sociologists focus their research on explaining social behaviour and the way people have organised themselves as a society. They research and explain the way societies have evolved by describing their legal, political, and economic systems and their cultural expressions.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| K2401 | Chercheur / Chercheuse en sciences humaines et sociales | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| K1412 | Chargé / Chargée de mission aux relations internationales | Related, not a match |
| E1133 | Attaché parlementaire / Attachée parlementaire | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| K2133 | Sociologue | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 2822 | Filósofos, historiadores y profesionales en ciencias políticas | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 91314 | Berufe in der Politologie - hoch komplexe Tätigkeiten | Same scopeprovisional |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 052 | 人文・社会科学系等研究者 | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources