behavioural scientist
Behavioural scientists research, observe and describe human behaviour in society. They draw conclusions on the motives that stir actions in humans, observe the various circumstances for different behaviours, and describe different personalities. They advise organisations and governmental institutions on this field. They may also analyse the behaviour of animals.
behavioural scientist behavioural scientists research, observe and describe human behaviour in society. They draw conclusions on the motives that stir actions in humans, observe the various circumstances for different behaviours, and describe different personalities. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include psychological counselling methods, research design, scientific literature, statistics, sociology.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £39,899 a year for Social and humanities scientists (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2115). ONS rates this estimate acceptable: it rests on a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only behavioural scientist, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Sociology and Anthropology
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Mathematics
- History and Archeology
- Computers and Electronics
- Law and Government
- Philosophy and Theology
What you'd actually do
- Analyze and interpret data to increase the understanding of human social behavior.
- Prepare publications and reports containing research findings.
- Develop, implement, and evaluate methods of data collection, such as questionnaires or interviews.
- Collect data about the attitudes, values, and behaviors of people in groups, using observation, interviews, and review of documents.
- Teach sociology.
- Plan and conduct research to develop and test theories about societal issues such as crime, group relations, poverty, and aging.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does behavioural scientist do?
Behavioural scientists research, observe and describe human behaviour in society. They draw conclusions on the motives that stir actions in humans, observe the various circumstances for different behaviours, and describe different personalities. They advise organisations and governmental institutions on this field. They may also analyse the behaviour of animals.
What skills does behavioural scientist need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include psychological counselling methods, research design, scientific literature, statistics, sociology, biology. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace behavioural scientist?
Our AI-durability model gives behavioural scientist a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.