Best EPQ topics for economics and psychology students | RISE Research

TL;DR:Choosing the best EPQ topics for economics and psychology students is one of the highest-leverage decisions a sixth-form student can make. The Extended Project Qualification carries up to 28 UCAS points, appears on your UCAS application, and gives you something concrete to discuss in personal statements and interviews. Most students pick a topic that sounds impressive but runs dry after a literature review. The students who stand out choose a question with real analytical depth and a clear methodology they can execute independently.

This guide gives you 30 verified topic directions across economics and psychology, explains what makes each one researchable, and shows you how to take your EPQ further than a standard dissertation.

TL;DR

The best EPQ topics for economics and psychology students combine a specific, testable question with data or primary research you can realistically collect. Economics students should anchor their topic in a real market, policy, or behavioural phenomenon. Psychology students should design an ethical, IRB-style methodology from the start. Students who work with a research mentor produce stronger EPQs and stronger university applications. RISE Research pairs students with PhD mentors who supervise exactly this process. Our deadline is closing soon.

What makes a strong EPQ topic in economics or psychology?

A strong EPQ topic is specific, arguable, and researchable within your available time and resources. Vague titles like "The impact of social media on mental health" produce generic literature reviews. Strong titles name a population, a mechanism, and a measurable outcome.

For economics, the best topics connect a theoretical framework (supply and demand, game theory, behavioural nudges) to a real-world case you can analyse with publicly available data. The Office for National Statistics, the World Bank Open Data portal, and the Bank of England all publish datasets accessible to sixth-form students.

For psychology, the strongest EPQs include a primary research component: a survey, an observational study, or a replication of a published experiment. This requires ethical approval from your school or supervisor, a clear hypothesis, and a methodology section that explains sampling, controls, and analysis.

The single most common reason EPQs receive lower grades is that the student chose a topic too broad to argue and too thin to analyse. Every topic below is framed as a researchable question, not a theme.

Best EPQ topics for economics students

Behavioural economics and consumer decision-making

Behavioural economics sits at the intersection of psychology and economics, which makes it ideal for EPQ students in either subject. Topics in this area have strong theoretical grounding and real-world data to draw on.

• To what extent do default option effects influence pension enrolment rates in the UK, and what does this imply for policy design?

• How does loss aversion explain consumer behaviour in subscription cancellation decisions?

• Does the framing of price discounts (percentage off versus pounds saved) affect purchasing decisions among 16-to-24-year-olds? (Primary survey component possible.)

• How effective have sugar tax nudges been in reducing consumption of high-sugar drinks in the UK since 2018?

• To what extent does present bias explain low rates of personal savings among young adults in the UK?

For deeper reading on this area, explore the research mentorship pathway for behavioural economics students and the range of economics research project ideas for high school students that RISE mentors have supervised.

Labour markets and inequality

• How has the rise of zero-hours contracts affected income inequality in the UK between 2010 and 2024?

• To what extent does the gender pay gap persist after controlling for occupation and hours worked in OECD countries?

• How does minimum wage legislation affect youth unemployment rates? A comparative analysis of the UK and Germany.

• What is the economic impact of unpaid care work, and how should it be measured in national accounts?

• Has remote working increased or decreased regional economic inequality in the UK since 2020?

Environmental and development economics

• To what extent do carbon taxes reduce emissions without disproportionately burdening low-income households?

• How effective are microfinance programmes in reducing poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa? A case study of M-Pesa in Kenya.

• What is the economic case for biodiversity conservation, and how should natural capital be valued?

• How does trade liberalisation affect income distribution in developing economies?

• To what extent has the UK's net-zero commitment affected energy prices and household energy poverty?

Markets, competition, and technology

• Are digital markets natural monopolies? An analysis of market concentration in the UK streaming industry.

• How has algorithmic pricing affected competition in the UK supermarket sector?

• To what extent does platform competition in ride-hailing markets benefit consumers in the long run?

• What are the economic implications of central bank digital currencies for commercial banking?

• How should antitrust regulators assess market power in zero-price digital markets?

Students preparing for economics at university should also review the best economics research programs for high school students and the best economics competitions for high school students to build a fuller profile alongside their EPQ.

Best EPQ topics for psychology students

Cognitive and developmental psychology

• To what extent does working memory capacity predict academic performance in secondary school students? (Primary research with a validated digit span task.)

• How does sleep deprivation affect executive function in adolescents aged 14 to 18?

• To what extent do growth mindset interventions improve academic resilience in GCSE students?

• How does bilingualism affect cognitive flexibility and attention switching in children?

• To what extent does screen time before sleep affect sleep quality and next-day mood in teenagers? (Primary survey and sleep diary component possible.)

For students considering psychology at university, the psychology research project ideas for high school students page offers additional direction on methodology and scope.

Social and health psychology

• How does social comparison on Instagram affect body image satisfaction among female adolescents?

• To what extent does perceived social support moderate the relationship between academic stress and anxiety in A-level students? (Primary survey using validated scales.)

• How effective are school-based mindfulness programmes in reducing anxiety among 16-to-18-year-olds?

• What psychological factors predict vaccine hesitancy, and how can health communication address them?

• To what extent does conformity pressure explain bystander inaction in cyberbullying scenarios?

Students interested in the overlap between technology and psychology should explore research topics combining psychology and technology, a growing area that universities find compelling.

Clinical and forensic psychology

• To what extent is cognitive behavioural therapy more effective than pharmacological treatment for adolescent depression, based on current meta-analytic evidence?

• How reliable is eyewitness testimony, and what cognitive factors explain its limitations?

• To what extent do media portrayals of mental illness affect stigma and help-seeking behaviour?

• What is the psychological impact of solitary confinement, and does current practice in UK prisons meet ethical standards?

• How does attachment style in childhood predict relationship satisfaction in early adulthood?

Students working on psychology EPQs who want to go beyond a literature review should review simple psychology experiments high school students can conduct ethically for methodology guidance.

How to choose between these topics

The right topic is the one where you can answer yes to three questions. First: do you have access to the data or participants you need? Second: can you form a clear hypothesis or argument before you start? Third: does the topic connect to your intended university subject?

For economics students applying to read Economics, PPE, or Management, a topic using real economic data and referencing academic papers from journals like the Economic Journal or the Journal of Economic Perspectives signals genuine subject readiness. For psychology students, a topic with a primary research component, even a small survey using validated scales, demonstrates the methodological literacy that psychology departments look for.

Avoid topics where your entire argument rests on a single source, topics where the answer is already obvious, and topics where you cannot access the data needed to test your claim.

How RISE students approach this

RISE Research is a selective 1-on-1 mentorship programme where high school students conduct original research under PhD mentors from Ivy League and Oxbridge institutions. While RISE produces full peer-reviewed publications rather than EPQs, the research skills are directly transferable: forming a hypothesis, designing a methodology, analysing data, and writing an academic argument.

RISE mentors include specialists in behavioural economics, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and economic policy. Students who complete RISE before or alongside their EPQ arrive with a research framework, a supervisor relationship, and in most cases a published paper. That combination is significantly stronger than an EPQ alone. RISE has a 90% publication success rate, and RISE scholars are admitted to Top 10 universities at three times the standard rate. You can review RISE publications and RISE admissions results directly.

For students specifically interested in psychology research mentorship, the research mentorship for psychology students page explains how the programme works in that subject area.

Our deadline is closing soon. Book a free Research Assessment to find out what is achievable in your timeline.

RISE students finish the programme with a published paper and mentor guidance on presenting it across every application. Our deadline is closing soon: book a free Research Assessment to find out what is achievable in your timeline.

Frequently asked questions

Can I do an EPQ on a topic that combines economics and psychology?

Yes, and interdisciplinary topics often produce the strongest EPQs. Behavioural economics is the most natural bridge: topics on nudge theory, loss aversion, or consumer decision-making draw on both disciplines. Make sure your supervisor has subject knowledge in at least one of the two fields, and be explicit in your methodology about which framework you are applying and why.

How long does an EPQ dissertation need to be?

AQA, Edexcel, and OCR all set the EPQ dissertation at approximately 5,000 words. This is a firm upper limit, not a target. A well-structured 4,500-word dissertation with a clear argument and strong evidence is better than a padded 5,000-word one. Check your exam board's current specification for the exact requirement, as minor variations exist between boards.

Do universities value the EPQ for economics and psychology applications?

Most selective UK universities, including those in the Russell Group, explicitly recognise the EPQ. Some make conditional offers that include a grade reduction (for example, AAA reduced to AAB) for students who achieve an A in the EPQ. Durham, Exeter, and Leeds have published such policies. Oxford and Cambridge do not reduce offers for the EPQ but acknowledge it in interviews. Check each university's current admissions policy before selecting your topic.

What is the best EPQ topic for psychology students applying to study psychology at university?

Topics with a primary research component are the strongest signal for psychology departments. A study using validated psychological scales (such as the GAD-7 for anxiety or the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) shows you understand measurement. Topics in cognitive, developmental, or social psychology align most closely with first-year undergraduate content. Avoid purely philosophical topics unless you are applying to philosophy of mind programmes.

Can I use my EPQ topic as the basis for a university-level research project?

Yes. Many RISE students develop their EPQ question into a full research paper supervised by a PhD mentor. The EPQ gives you the initial literature review and hypothesis; RISE gives you the methodology, data analysis, and publication pathway. The two complement each other well. Review the RISE projects page to see the range of topics RISE scholars have taken to publication.

Conclusion

The best EPQ topics for economics and psychology students are specific, methodologically honest, and connected to the subject you want to study at university. A strong topic in behavioural economics or cognitive psychology, executed with real data and a clear argument, does more for your application than a broad essay on a famous theory. If you want to go further than the EPQ, RISE Research gives you a PhD mentor, a peer-reviewed publication, and the research skills that selective universities are looking for. Our deadline is closing soon. Book a free Research Assessment and find out what is achievable in your timeline.