Well said, Susan. I can't speak to all social sciences disciplines, but Sociology was my academic home, and frankly the sociologists I knew were some of the most open-minded, empathic people I've ever met. But we were sometimes assigned readings that talked about earlier "incarnations" of the discipline and long-ago studies gone woefully wrong (including the limitations of other disciplines), as exemplars of how NOT to interpret or apply your findings. That was when/where/how I learned about the study involving poor children.

Unfortunately, since the results of modern-day sociology research tend to skew more liberal, it's really difficult to get conservative politicians onboard with acknowledging the reality of systemic disadvantage behind the scenes. Another issue is that the entire research / publication / trickle-the-findings-down-into-soundbites-for-the-masses process can take so long that it ultimately doesn't get translated into policy in a timely fashion anyway.

To be honest, I actually think the world would be a lot better off if we had more social sciences education, — sociology and anthropology especially — because the entire idea behind those disciplines is that we are, indeed, very much products of our environment and circumstance. Maybe if the average person was more aware of this truth, they'd vote more responsibly.... one can hope. ;)