Showing papers by "Dominique Brossard published in 2011"

Science on Television in the 21st Century: Recent Trends in Portrayals and Their Contributions to Public Attitudes Toward Science

Abstract: Twenty-five years after George Gerbner and colleagues’ seminal report on television and science attitudes, there is a need to update the data on television’s portrayals of science and to revisit the cultivation question. We address this need by analyzing 21st-century television depictions of science and examining the relationships between exposure to television and attitudes toward science with an analysis of 2006 General Social Survey data. Content results show that scientists appear infrequently in prime-time dramatic programs, are typically White males, and are frequently cast in good or mixed roles rather than as evil scientists. Regarding the cultivation effect, we do not find a significant direct relationship between television viewing and negative attitudes toward science after relevant controls are taken into account. Additional results, however, indicate a displacement effect of television viewing on science attitudes and show significant interaction effects consistent with mainstreaming.

Interpersonal amplification of risk? Citizen discussions and their impact on perceptions of risks and benefits of a biological research facility.

Abstract: Much risk communication research has demonstrated how mass media can influence individual risk perceptions, but lacks a comprehensive conceptual understanding of another key channel of communication: interpersonal discussion. Using the social amplification of risk as a theoretical framework, we consider the potential for discussions to function as amplification stations. We explore this possibility using data from a public opinion survey of residents living in potential locations for a new biological research facility in the United States. Controlling for a variety of key information variables, our results show that two dimensions of discussion-frequency and valence-have impacts on residents' perceptions of the facility's benefits and its risks. We also explore the possibility that an individual's overall attitude moderates the effect of discussion on their perceptions of risks and benefits. Our results demonstrate the potential for discussions to operate as amplifiers or attenuators of perceptions of both risks and benefits. Language: en

The Role of Perceptions of Media Bias in General and Issue-Specific Political Participation

Abstract: Despite a large body of literature documenting factors influencing general political participation, research has lagged in understanding what motivates participation regarding specific issues. Our research fills this gap by examining the interplay of perceptions of media bias, trust in government, and political efficacy on individuals' levels of general and issue-specific political participation. Using survey data with indicators related to general political participation, our results demonstrate that perceptions of media bias overall are negatively related to general political participation. Moreover, this relationship is an indirect one, mediated by trust in government and political efficacy. Using survey data with indicators of issue-specific political participation in the context of stem cell research, our results show that—contrary to the relationship found for general political participation—perceptions of media bias are directly and positively associated with issue-specific participation. Implicati...

Media, Social Proximity, and Risk: A Comparative Analysis of Newspaper Coverage of Avian Flu in Hong Kong and in the United States

Abstract: This study uses the psychometric paradigm (Renn & Rohrmann, 2000; Slovic, 1992) as an analytic framework to analyze the risk dimensions being conveyed in media coverage of Avian flu in Hong Kong and in the United States between 2003 and 2007. A quantitative content analysis of The New York Times and South China Morning Post stories showed different patterns of avian flu related risk content coverage. The differences revealed that dimensions related to dreadfulness, catastrophic potential, uncertainty, and unfamiliarity were more emphasized in The New York Times than in South China Morning Post. The authors discuss the implications.

Stimulating Upstream Engagement: An Experimental Study of Nanotechnology Information Seeking

Abstract: Objectives The current study examines upstream engagement initiatives using the issue of nanotechnology as a case study. Methods A series of logistic and OLS regression analyses explore data from a laboratory experiment on information-seeking behavior, knowledge, and willingness to engage with the issue of nanotechnology in the future. Results Our results fail to offer evidence of positive relationships between anticipated discussion and learning and the willingness to engage with the issue of nanotechnology in the future. In addition, our results show that anticipated discussion with opposing others actually encourages individuals to seek out an editorial or opinion piece first as opposed to a news item. Conclusion Our findings point toward important variations in the kinds of information-seeking behaviors likely to emerge from different conditions under which individuals may be motivated to learn more about emerging science issues, and provide practical insights into which kinds of information-seeking behaviors are most conducive to knowledge gain and issue engagement.

There Is Water Everywhere: How News Framing Amplifies the Effect of Ecological Worldviews on Preference for Flooding Protection Policy

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the interactive effect of worldviews and media frames on policy preference. Using flooding as a case study, we examine the interplay of ecological worldviews and news framed as either emphasizing harmony with nature or mastery over nature on individuals' preference for flood protection policy. A total of 255 undergraduate students participated in a 2 (ecological worldviews: balance-with-nature vs. human-domination-over-nature) × 2 (media frames: harmony frame vs. mastery frame) between-subjects experiment. The findings indicate that both the balance-with-nature worldview and the human-domination-over-nature worldview have significant impacts on preference for flood protection policy. Furthermore, the harmony frame amplified the effect of the balance-with-nature worldview in supporting a natural approach to flood protection. In contrast, the mastery frame amplified the effect of the human-domination-over-nature worldview on the preference for a structural approach to...

Crude comments and concern: Online incivility's effect on risk perceptions of emerging technologies

Abstract: All correspondence regarding this manuscript should be addressed to the first author in the Center for Climate ChangeCommunication, George Mason University, Mail Stop 6A8, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA, 22030ph: 703-993-8368;e-mail: aander24@gmu.edu.This material is based upon work supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation to the UW-MadisonNanoscale Science and Engineering Center in Templated Synthesis and Assembly at the Nanoscale (Grant No. SES-DMR-0832760).Anyopinions,findings,andconclusionsorrecommendationsexpressedinthismaterialarethoseoftheauthorsand do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.