The Institute of Sociology of the University of Porto is organised into two research groups, dedicated to the study of Social Recompositions, Culture and Territory and Work, Family and Social Policies, united around what is the main cross-cutting axis of their work, the socio-economic development and the development of public policies, in a comprehensive effort to produce knowledge on the multidimensional processes that construct inequalities in contemporary societies. The activities of the Group Social Recompositions, Culture and Territory is based on the issues of Social Recompositions and Territories and Artistic Creation, Cultural Policies and Practices; moreover, the activities of the research Group Work, Family and Social Policies involve the fields of Work, Employment, Professions and Organisations and Family, Ageing and Gender.

With an extensive accumulated experience in scientific research on sociology, with a strong component for the development of multidisciplinary research, the activity of the Research Groups of the Institute of Sociology is geared to building leading sociological knowledge on the social reality, investing in the production of research on meaningful local and regional social processes. Since it promotes the acquisition of scientific knowledge from sociology's different theoretical traditions, the Unit supports research based on differentiated methodological approaches, from the more quantitative to the more qualitative ones, the latter including ethnography and socio-historic studies.