Dr. Laura Lindberg is a Principal Research Scientist at the Guttmacher Institute. As a social demographer, Dr. Lindberg focuses on measuring the trends, determinants and consequences of sexual and reproductive health in the U.S. population—particularly regarding the needs and behaviors of adolescents—and working to improve the quality of survey data on sexual and reproductive behaviors. Over the course of her career, she has conducted policy-related research on adolescent sexual behaviors, sex education, adolescent preventive services, unintended pregnancy and contraceptive use.
Dr. Lindberg currently is Principal Investigator for a National Institutes of Health grant funding research on improving the measurement of abortion in U.S. surveys. She leads and contributes to the designing, fielding and analysis of multiple surveys, including a national survey to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s fertility preferences and access to sexual and reproductive health care. Dr. Lindberg has published in top peer-reviewed journals in the field, including Demography, Studies in Family Planning, the American Journal of Public Health and Guttmacher’s own Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. Additionally, she plays a major role at Guttmacher in providing expertise on sexual and reproductive health topics to the media.
Dr. Lindberg received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University; she earned her MA and PhD in sociology at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining Guttmacher in 2002, she held research positions at the Urban Institute and Abt Associates.
