Texas Research Center for Social Dynamics

About the Center

Mission & Mandate

The Texas Research Center for Social Dynamics exists to observe, record, and report on the patterns by which Texans form, sustain, and dissolve their personal and household relationships, and to make those observations available to the public and to State government.

The Center operates on a single premise: that durable public policy depends on an accurate, dispassionate account of how people actually behave — not on assumption, anecdote, or sentiment. To that end the Center maintains long-running datasets, conducts periodic studies, and publishes its findings without editorial recommendation.

What We Do

• Maintain longitudinal data on household formation, partnership stability, dissolution, and demographic change across the State.
• Design and conduct periodic studies in cooperation with participating institutions.
• Publish technical reports and plain-language briefs for public use.
• Fulfill non-confidential aggregate data requests under the Texas Public Information Act.
• Provide statistical reference material to State agencies upon formal request.

What We Do Not Do

History

The Center was authorized in 2019 to consolidate several smaller demographic and family-research functions that had previously been distributed among other State offices. It received its current name and mandate in the same session and has operated continuously since. Its records prior to 2019 are held by the originating agencies.

Funding

The Center is funded by biennial legislative appropriation and operates a small permanent staff supplemented by contracted research associates. As a matter of stewardship, the Center keeps its overhead low and publishes electronically in preference to print. Annual expenditure summaries are available through the public data request process.

This page is maintained by the Office of the Director. For corrections, contact the Office of Information Resources.