Lasting social change requires paradigm shifts, not slogans. We focus on the level of Cultural Common Sense, the deeply held understandings that are pervasive, unquestioned, and have the power to shape people’s views and behavior. Cultural Common Sense is the level at which policy debates are won and lost. We rely on unique research methods, grounded in the cognitive and social sciences, and created by Topos principals to address gaps in traditional public opinion research tools. These methods allow us to identify strategies to overcome barriers in public understanding, so people can see the issue in a new, true way that empowers decision-making and active engagement. Our work goes far beyond measuring how people passively respond to top-down messaging, or knee-jerk, temporary appeals. Our insights have implications for communications, organizing, power-building, community-driven policy development, advocacy and so on. We develop strategies that center the community’s voice in policymaking, that are durable and embolden movements. Working alongside grassroots advocates as we develop the research and strategy ensures that we stay true to what advocates need to inspire their communities. We have successfully applied this approach to topics ranging from environmental issues to nuclear security, the US role in the world, labor unions, job quality, government, race, taxes, health, the food system and so forth. We have explored attitudes with audiences as diverse as rural farmers and urban homeless, in situations that range from inner city Baltimore to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.