Great ideas do not succeed
simply on their merits.

Why we exist

History is full of wonderful ideas and innovations that failed to catch on, despite their objective benefits. Often, our best opportunities for progress are hindered by social obstacles: popular misconceptions, fears, habits, biases, norms, politics, and distractions.

XandY exists to help overcome these social barriers with social solutions. We measure what people think and do, understand why, and then build out the strategies that spark lasting change. We specialize in emerging, contested domains where emotions are strong, habits are firm, opinions are polarized, misinformation is rampant, and the stakes are high.

Meet the team

Custom research partnerships

Every engagement is custom-built, but we often circle around three core questions: how does your audience think and act, why do they think and act that way, and what can we build that will actually move them forward? We use our suite of advanced quantitative and qualitative methods (e.g., surveys, interviews, and randomized experiments) — applying the same standards that guide our research that lands in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

See our capabilities & approach

Our past work includes partnerships with global nonprofits, billion-dollar corporations, leading industry groups, major tech startups, and Ivy League universities.

Start a conversation

The XandY Poll

Our national polling engine tracks how Americans think about the most important emerging ideas and innovations — from autonomous vehicles to digital assets to policy reform on psychedelic medicine. We publish our key findings openly, because better public data makes progress faster for everyone.

Explore our research