Are we all on our own? Thanks to CZK 150 million in support, the PRINS project at Masaryk University is here to help answer that question
Starting in May 2025, researchers at Masaryk University will launch a new research project titled “On Our Own: Opportunities and Risks in the Individualization of Society” (PRINS). The project received substantial funding through the OP JAK call, enabling a deeper understanding of how societal shifts toward greater individual freedom and autonomy are shaping our everyday lives.
The aim of the project is to understand how these dynamic challenges are transforming our society. On the one hand, we have more freedom and greater opportunities to make decisions about our own lives; on the other hand, we are at risk of becoming more isolated and less connected to others. Digitization and technology are accelerating this process — for example, by leading us to spend increasingly more time online than with family and friends.
“Individualization is changing not only how we live, but also what we expect from one another. We want to explore how we, both as individuals and as a society, can find a balance between focusing on ourselves and strong collective ties,” explains the project’s principal investigator, Associate Professor Anna Ševčíková from the Faculty of Social Studies, MUNI. The project is also exceptional in that it brings together five leading institutions: FSS MUNI, the Faculty of Science at Charles University, the Institute of Psychology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Faculty of Information Technology at Brno University of Technology, and the Faculty of Business and Economics at Mendel University in Brno.
The PRINS project will explore how people respond to global challenges such as climate change, an aging population, and artificial intelligence. It will focus on individuals and their mental health, as well as on family relationships and overall societal cohesion. The findings will be used not only in academic research, but also to inform public policies and services so that they better reflect the needs of today’s society.
The project will run for three and a half years, and its outcomes will be valuable to a wide range of stakeholders — from social scientists and policymakers to the general public, who face the challenges of a rapidly changing world on a daily basis.
