The Social Science Research Unit (SSRU) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Idaho was established in 1989 as the result of demand for social surveys in the College and other groups within Idaho.  Originally located in the Agricultural Science building, the Unit relocated in 1990 to its current location in the Student Union Building (SUB).

Over the past nineteen years, the number of surveys conducted for researchers at the University of Idaho, federal and state agencies, local governments, private firms, and community groups has continued to increase.