HBES 2025 Conference Survey Results

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HBES Members,

I am writing in my capacity as Communications Officer to share with you survey results about our recent meeting in Atlantic City.

We had 127 responses, most of whom are faculty at various career stages, doctoral students, and postdocs. The vast majority of survey participants are from North America. Anthropologists and psychologists made up over 100 of the 127 responses, with psychology outnumbering anthropology three to one.

Here are statistical summaries of Likert scale questions, ranked from most satisfied to least satisfied

  • 83% (65/78) of participants agreed or strongly agreed that they felt free to express their views about scientific topics and questions at the 2025 meeting.
  • 82% (86/105) of participants are satisfied or extremely satisfied with the science in our journal, Evolution & Human Behavior.
  • 76% (80/105) of participants are satisfied or extremely satisfied with the degree to which HBES provides an environment in which people are free to express their ideas, opinions, or beliefs.
  • 76% (80/105) of participants are satisfied or extremely satisfied with the claim that HBES provides an environment in which people have an opportunity to excel regardless of their identity or background.
  • 70% (73/104) of participants are satisfied or extremely satisfied with the HBES e-newsletter. (As this is my first newsletter, I can take no credit, but would like to take a moment to thank my predecessor, Pat Barclay, for many years of service to HBES in this role.)
  • 70% (73/104) of participants are satisfied or extremely satisfied with HBES e-mail communications.
  • 65% (65/101) of participants would like to or are planning to attend HBES 2026 in Rabat, Morocco.
  • 62% (64/104) of participants are satisfied or extremely satisfied by the society’s overall impact.
  • 60% (62/102) of participants are satisfied or extremely satisfied with the Executive Council leadership over the last year.
  • 59% (61/103) of participants are satisfied or extremely satisfied with the disciplinary diversity of HBES.
  • 57% (58/102) of participants are satisfied or extremely satisfied by the society’s transparency of operations.
  • 54% (56/102) of participants are satisfied or extremely satisfied with the HBES website (33 participants are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied).
  • 40% (42/102) of participants are satisfied or extremely satisfied with HBES social media (another 42 participants are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied).
  • 26% (26/100) of participants are satisfied or extremely satisfied with the contractual agreement with Elsevier for our society journal, *Evolution & Human Behavior*.

In a large and diverse society, we can’t expect consensus on most issues. That said, most survey participants are broadly satisfied with the society.

There were two items in which a plurality of participants were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied: social media and the contractual agreement with Elsevier for Evolution & Human Behavior. (I’ll note that on no item was there a plurality, let alone a majority, who were dissatisfied or extremely dissatisfied.)

I cannot speak to any concerns you have about the contract with Elsevier, but as Communications Officer I am happy to relay any messages to the Executive Council. Social media, however, is within my purview as Communications Officer. Please send me concerns you have and suggestions on how we can improve this aspect of our society (same goes for the website, the newsletter, email communications. etc.).

Lastly, I’d like to highlight some of the qualitative opinions members shared with us. Rather than reproduce multiple responses verbatim, I’ll share with you my summaries.

  • A few participants expressed feelings of being an outsider, whether that’s because of their academic discipline (i.e. not being an anthropologist or psychologist) or their academic home (e.g. not being from a “respected lab”, a “California school”, or an “R-1”). This is unfortunate and certainly not something the society encourages. The EC is planning on adding events to the next annual meeting to try to address this issue.
  • A few participants complained that the society has become “too political”, with roughly equal numbers worrying it was too left-wing and too right-wing. The EC strives to maintain an environment in which HBES members are free to express themselves. This means that some members end up saying things that others deem “too political.” (I will also note that roughly the same number wrote lengthy responses commending the society for fostering an inclusive environment that allowed people to express their ideas. Furthermore, 80% of participants thought the society was doing a good job with freedom of expression and 83% felt they could express their ideas without a problem.)
  • A few participants felt that psychology is over-represented and anthropology is underrepresented. Among survey participants, psychologists did, in fact, outnumber anthropologists three to one. The EC remains committed to fostering disciplinary diversity. For example, plenary lectures tend to be balanced between psychology and anthropology. (I’ll also note that this is not a long-standing issue and that our society has very little representation outside these two disciplines—something we may want to work on in the future.)

Please reach out to the society if you feel your opinions are not being heard.

If you have specific suggestions on how we might improve our society, feel free to email me (communications@hbes.com) and I will relay the message to the Executive Council.

If you witnessed or experienced inappropriate behavior at conference , please contact the Grievance Committee (https://www.hbes.com/grievance/).

Sincerely,
Karthik Panchanthan