Why Social Research?

Why social research?

My path into social research has been anything but linear. It has spanned two countries, several career pivots, and more than a few moments of wondering whether the pieces would ever come together. But sitting here now, I can see that every step, even the ones that felt like detours, brought me closer to this work.

I studied psychology at undergraduate level in South Africa before moving to the UK to pursue postgraduate study, in hopes of becoming a forensic psychologist one day. Along the way, I gained frontline experience working in prisons delivering offending behaviour interventions and started studying a master’s degree in forensic psychology. Over the years, I applied to doctoral programmes multiple times, reaching interview stage on several occasions. Each time it didn't work out, I had to sit with that and figure out what to do next.

What I realise now is that those experiences weren't setbacks, they were redirections. They pushed me to keep building, keep learning, and ultimately to discover a field where everything I'd gathered along the way could come together in a way I hadn't anticipated.

Here are three reasons why social research turned out to be exactly where I needed to be.

1) A cross-cultural lens

Growing up in South Africa gave me an early and visceral understanding of how context shapes people's lives. The systems that surround you, where you live, what services are available and how resources are distributed can all determine outcomes in ways that are deeply unequal and often invisible to those on the more comfortable side of them.

Moving to the UK didn't erase that awareness; it sharpened it. I started noticing similar dynamics playing out in different ways, in how communities are consulted (or not), in whose voices reach decision-makers, and in the assumptions built into policy and service design. Social research gives me a way to bring that perspective to the table: to ask questions that might not occur to someone who has never had to navigate a particular system, and to help ensure that the evidence base behind decisions reflects the full picture.

2) From supporting individuals to shaping systems

In my frontline roles, I worked directly with people navigating incredibly difficult circumstances. That work was meaningful, and I learned an enormous amount from it, including about resilience, the gaps between what people need and what they're offered, and about the real human cost when systems fall short.

But I also began to see patterns. The same challenges kept surfacing, not because of individual failings but because of how services were designed, funded, and delivered. I found myself wanting to zoom out and to contribute at the level where those patterns could actually be addressed.

Social research offers exactly that. At TONIC, our work feeds directly into the decisions that shape services and communities. Being able to take the understanding I built through one-to-one work and apply it to questions of systemic change feels like a natural and exciting progression. It wasn’t about leaving that frontline perspective behind; it was about putting it to work in a different way.

3) The winding path was the preparation

I think there can be a tendency, especially when you're early in your career, to see a non-linear journey as a sign that something has gone wrong. I certainly felt that at times. But every role, every application, and every redirection taught me something I now draw on daily: how to listen carefully, how to sit with complexity, how to communicate across different contexts, and how to approach sensitive topics with the care they deserve.

My background trained me to think critically about evidence, to be rigorous with data, and to always consider the human behaviour behind the numbers. Those are skills that translate directly into social research, even though the two fields might not seem obviously connected at first glance.

If there is one thing my journey has taught me, it's that there is no single route into this work, and the scenic routes often equip you better than the direct ones.

Final reflection

Social research brings together my academic training, my frontline experience, and the cross-cultural perspective that has shaped how I see the world. It allows me to do work that is both intellectually engaging and genuinely purposeful. I love asking questions that matter, listening to people whose experiences need to be heard, and contributing to evidence that can drive real change.

If you're reading this and your own path feels unconventional, take heart. The experiences you've had are not wasted. They're preparation and social research might just be the place where they all start to make sense.

Written by Amber Mendes, Researcher and Analyst, July 2026