Identifying Contemporary Human Social Problems: A Better World Report
Abstract
This study explored contemporary human social problems through a mixed-methods approach combining literature review, survey research, and structured interviews. Guided by scholarship on human services and social work challenges, the research sought to identify the social issues perceived as most significant by diverse community members and student leaders. Data were collected from 49 survey respondents representing multiple demographic groups and geographic locations, yielding 343 survey responses and approximately 200 identified social problems. Additionally, four structured interviews were conducted with leadership members of the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) chapter at The City College of New York. Quantitative analysis and qualitative thematic synthesis were employed to examine patterns across responses. Findings revealed racism, climate change, poverty, and homelessness as the most frequently identified social problems. Participants also highlighted concerns related to mental health, healthcare access, economic inequality, unemployment, housing insecurity, disability rights, political polarization, and social disconnection. Survey responses further emphasized systemic deficiencies characterized by a perceived lack of accountability, empathy, affordable housing, healthcare, and social services. The results suggest that contemporary social problems are highly interconnected and often rooted in broader structural inequalities. This study contributes to ongoing discussions in human services and social work by providing insight into public perceptions of pressing social challenges and underscoring the need for interdisciplinary, community-centered approaches to social problem identification and intervention.
Research
This article summarizes findings from original research conducted by Miguel A. Davila. It is intended as an accessible overview of the study and should be read alongside the complete research protocol.
Full Research Protocol
Davila, M. A. (2022, May). Identifying contemporary human social problems: A better world report. The City College of New York, CCNY Chapter of The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS).
Research Protocol Repository: https://daar.llc/research-protocols/
Many contemporary social problems cannot be examined independently of the historical and structural effects of racism in the United States. In A Better World Report, conducted by Davila (2022) through The City College of New York’s Chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS), a methodically structured examination of contemporary human social problems is presented. Utilizing an applied anthropological research methodology, the report draws upon 49 survey respondents, four structured interviews, and a synthesis of approximately 200 identified social problems to provide a broad overview of the challenges facing contemporary society. Through both qualitative and quantitative analysis, the report offers insight into how individuals perceive and prioritize social issues in their communities.
This critique evaluates the strengths of the report’s research design, demographic representation, and identification of major social problems while incorporating relevant scholarly literature to contextualize its findings. The report identifies racism, climate change, poverty, and homelessness as the four most frequently cited social problems. These findings align with contemporary scholarship and public discourse concerning systemic inequality, environmental challenges, and social welfare in the United States.
Although the report presents these four issues as distinct social problems, the findings suggest that racism functions as a foundational structural force that contributes to many of the other issues identified by participants. Anthropological and sociological scholars have long argued that racism is not simply one social problem among many but rather a system of power that shapes access to housing, education, employment, healthcare, and political participation. Supporting this interpretation, Davila’s (2022) visual word cloud includes terms such as racial injustice, racial discrimination, racial indifference, systemic racism, segregation, and white supremacy, all of which represent manifestations of broader racial inequalities.
Historically, racial hierarchies in the United States influenced who could accumulate wealth, own property, access quality education, and fully participate in civic life. Although many explicitly discriminatory policies have been abolished, their social and economic consequences continue to influence contemporary institutions. Consequently, problems such as poverty, housing insecurity, unemployment, healthcare disparities, and educational inequality disproportionately affect communities of color.
Particularly significant is the tendency for many contemporary social problems to be discussed as isolated phenomena rather than as outcomes connected to historical policy decisions. Practices such as redlining, residential segregation, discriminatory lending, and unequal educational funding were not accidental developments but institutional policies that produced predictable patterns of disadvantage. The persistence of poverty, homelessness, lack of affordable housing, and economic inequality identified by respondents in Davila’s (2022) report reflects the enduring influence of these structural conditions.
Housing inequality provides one of the clearest examples of how structural racism continues to shape contemporary urban life. Respondents identified homelessness, poverty, lack of affordable housing, economic inequality, and healthcare inaccessibility as major social concerns. Existing scholarship consistently demonstrates that these challenges disproportionately affect racialized communities due to historical and ongoing patterns of exclusion. Consequently, these issues cannot be fully understood in isolation but must be examined within broader systems of racial and economic inequality.
This interpretation is further supported by the remarks of Javier Marin, NSLS CCNY Chapter Treasurer, who observed that “the problem is that we are not treating the root causes of these problems but rather go after the effects they produce” (Davila, 2022, p. 2). His observation highlights a central theme emerging from the report: many visible social problems may be symptoms of deeper structural conditions. From an anthropological perspective, this reflects the concept of structural violence, whereby social institutions and policies systematically produce unequal life outcomes for marginalized populations.
The consequences of these structural inequalities are particularly visible in contemporary housing markets. Gentrification has transformed many historically Black and Brown neighborhoods through rising property values, increasing rents, and demographic change. While redevelopment projects are often framed as economic revitalization, scholars have documented how they can contribute to displacement and the erosion of long-standing community networks. As housing costs rise, many low-income residents face increasing barriers to remaining in neighborhoods where they have historically lived and established social ties.
Chong (2017) argues that gentrification frequently results in the displacement of low-income residents and communities of color as formerly affordable neighborhoods become increasingly inaccessible. This process illustrates how housing inequality functions not merely as an economic issue but as a manifestation of broader systems of racial and social stratification. The lack of affordable housing identified in Davila’s (2022) report can therefore be understood as part of a larger pattern of structural inequality.
The report’s visual word cloud identifies more than one hundred social problems that can be organized into three interconnected categories: societal problems, interpersonal problems, and mental health problems. Societal problems include racism, poverty, homelessness, segregation, climate change, immigration, and gender inequality. Interpersonal problems include discrimination, lack of empathy, lack of compassion, miscommunication, and harassment. Mental health concerns include depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and body dysmorphia.
Rather than existing as separate categories, these problems appear interconnected through a chain of social causation. Societal conditions shape interpersonal interactions, which in turn influence mental health outcomes. Compton and Shim (2015) argue that the social determinants of mental health are rooted in unequal distributions of opportunity that are reinforced through public policies and social norms. Their analysis supports the interpretation that many of the mental health concerns identified in Davila’s (2022) report are linked to broader social and structural conditions rather than solely individual circumstances.
Similarly, Alegría et al. (2023) demonstrate that inequitable social conditions, including housing instability, economic insecurity, and systemic racism, are associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes among marginalized populations. Their findings suggest that social systems of oppression contribute significantly to psychological distress and mental illness. Consequently, mental health concerns identified in the report, including anxiety, depression, mistrust, and lack of motivation, may be understood as outcomes shaped by broader structural inequalities.
At the interpersonal level, the report identifies problems such as discrimination, lack of empathy, lack of compassion, unnecessary hate, and misunderstanding across social groups. These interpersonal dynamics do not emerge independently of broader social systems. Rather, they reflect the ways in which historical inequalities become embedded in everyday interactions. Racism operates not only through institutions and policies but also through socialization processes that shape attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors toward others.
The appearance of discrimination within the report’s findings is particularly significant because it illustrates how structural inequalities manifest in daily life. Experiences of unequal treatment in employment, housing, healthcare, and education represent interpersonal expressions of larger systems of racial inequality. Consequently, many interpersonal problems identified by respondents can be understood as reflections of broader social structures rather than purely individual failings.
Mental health outcomes similarly cannot be separated from the social conditions in which individuals live. Residents of historically marginalized communities often experience the cumulative effects of poverty, housing insecurity, educational inequities, discrimination, and neighborhood disinvestment. Under such conditions, depression, anxiety, and psychological distress may be understood as responses to chronic social and economic adversity. This perspective does not deny the importance of individual treatment and support but emphasizes that meaningful improvement also requires addressing the structural conditions that contribute to psychological suffering.
Overall, A Better World Report (Davila, 2022) successfully captures a broad spectrum of contemporary human social problems. While multiple systems of inequality—including racism, classism, sexism, ableism, and economic exploitation—contribute to these challenges, the report’s findings suggest that racism remains a particularly influential structural force connecting many of the social, interpersonal, and mental health concerns identified by participants. Understanding these relationships is essential for developing effective solutions that address not only the symptoms of social inequality but also the institutional conditions that sustain them.
References
Alegría, M., Alvarez, K., Cheng, M., & Falgas-Bague, I. (2023). Recent advances on social determinants of mental health: Looking fast forward. American Journal of Psychiatry, 180(7), 473–482. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.20230371
Chong, E. (2017, October 30). Examining the negative impacts of gentrification. Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy. https://www.law.georgetown.edu/poverty-journal/blog/examining-the-negative-impacts-of-gentrification/
Compton, M. T., & Shim, R. S. (2015). The social determinants of mental health. Focus, 13(4), 419–425. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20150017
Davila, M. A. (2022, May). Identifying contemporary human social problems: A better world report. The City College of New York, CCNY Chapter of The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS).
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