Showing papers in "Public Understanding of Science in 2018"
TL;DR: This article argues that social reproduction in science communication constructs a narrow public that reflects the shape, values and practices of dominant groups, at the expense of the marginalised, and contributes to how the authors might reimagine science communication’s publics by taking inclusion/exclusion and the effects of structural inequalities into account.
Abstract: This article explores science communication from the perspective of those most at risk of exclusion, drawing on ethnographic fieldwork. I conducted five focus groups and 32 interviews with participants from low-income, minority ethnic backgrounds. Using theories of social reproduction and social justice, I argue that participation in science communication is marked by structural inequalities (particularly ethnicity and class) in two ways. First, participants' involvement in science communication practices was narrow (limited to science media consumption). Second, their experiences of exclusion centred on cultural imperialism (misrepresentation and 'Othering') and powerlessness (being unable to participate or change the terms of their participation). I argue that social reproduction in science communication constructs a narrow public that reflects the shape, values and practices of dominant groups, at the expense of the marginalised. The article contributes to how we might reimagine science communication's publics by taking inclusion/exclusion and the effects of structural inequalities into account.
107 citations
TL;DR: This work uses latent class analysis to reconstruct four segments: the “Sciencephiles,” with strong interest for science, extensive knowledge, and a pronounced belief in its potential, who use a variety of sources intensively; the ‘Critically Interested,’ who use similar sources but are more cautious toward them; the’Passive Supporters’ with moderate levels of interest, trust, and knowledge and tempered perceptions of science, who used fewer sources.
Abstract: Few studies have assessed whether populations can be divided into segments with different perceptions of science. We provide such an analysis and assess whether these segments exhibit specific patterns of media and information use. Based on representative survey data from Switzerland, we use latent class analysis to reconstruct four segments: the “Sciencephiles,” with strong interest for science, extensive knowledge, and a pronounced belief in its potential, who use a variety of sources intensively; the “Critically Interested,” also with strong interest and support for science but with less trust in it, who use similar sources but are more cautious toward them; the “Passive Supporters” with moderate levels of interest, trust, and knowledge and tempered perceptions of science, who use fewer sources; and the “Disengaged,” who are not interested in science, do not know much about it, harbor critical views toward it, and encounter it—if at all—mostly through television.
72 citations
TL;DR: The findings show that individuals possessing strongly held cultural worldviews, not only choose news outlets where they expect to find culturally congruent arguments about climate change, but they also selectively process the arguments they encounter.
Abstract: According to cultural cognition theory, individuals hold opinions about politically contested issues like climate change that are consistent with their "cultural way of life," conforming their opinions to how they think society should be organized and to what they perceive are the attitudes of their cultural peers. Yet despite dozens of cultural cognition studies, none have directly examined the role of the news media in facilitating these differential interpretations. To address this gap, drawing on a national survey of US adults administered in 2015, we statistically modeled the cultural cognition process in relation to news choices and media effects on public attitudes about climate change. Individuals possessing strongly held cultural worldviews, our findings show, not only choose news outlets where they expect to find culturally congruent arguments about climate change, but they also selectively process the arguments they encounter. Overall, our study demonstrates the substantial role that cultural cognition in combination with news media choices play in contributing to opinion polarization on climate change and other politicized science topics.
71 citations
TL;DR: This study looks at how United States–based academic scientists from five professional scientific societies think about eight different communication objectives, using the scientists’ attitudes, normative beliefs, and efficacy beliefs, as well as demographics and past communication activity, training, and past thinking about the objectives.
Abstract: This study looks at how United States-based academic scientists from five professional scientific societies think about eight different communication objectives. The degree to which scientists say they would prioritize these objectives in the context of face-to-face public engagement is statistically predicted using the scientists' attitudes, normative beliefs, and efficacy beliefs, as well as demographics and past communication activity, training, and past thinking about the objectives. The data allow for questions about the degree to which such variables consistently predict views about objectives. The research is placed in the context of assessing factors that communication trainers might seek to reshape if they wanted get scientists to consider choosing specific communication objectives.
70 citations
TL;DR: In his contribution, Bruce Lewenstein critiques the instrumentalist agenda that animates the ‘science of’ approach and makes the case for the contextual studies offered by historians and sociologists.
Abstract: A volume as long as this does not speak with one voice and, although it promotes a particular view of a diverse field, the chapters vary in the extent to which they embrace this view. In his contribution, Bruce Lewenstein critiques the instrumentalist agenda that animates the ‘science of’ approach; he makes the case for the contextual studies offered by historians and sociologists. As Lewenstein argues, controversies are an inherent part of the social and political context of science and attempts to prevent or resolve them require high levels of self-reflection. In not being explicit about the assumptions and implications that accompany the reconfiguration of science communication research as a science, the editors have passed up the opportunity to inject that much needed element of self-reflection.
46 citations
TL;DR: It is revealed that religiosity and partisanship moderate the extent to which Americans identify scientific consensuses and assert beliefs that contradict their perceptions of consensus.
Abstract: Individuals who provide incorrect answers to scientific knowledge questions have long been considered scientifically illiterate. Yet, increasing evidence suggests that motivated reasoning, rather than ignorance, may explain many of these incorrect answers. This article uses novel survey measures to assess two processes by which motivated reasoning might lead to incorrect personal beliefs: motivated individuals may fail to identify the presence of a scientific consensus on some issue or they may recognize a consensus while questioning its veracity. Simultaneously looking at perceptions of what most scientists say and personal beliefs, this study reveals that religiosity and partisanship moderate the extent to which Americans identify scientific consensuses and assert beliefs that contradict their perceptions of consensus. Although these pathways predict the scope of disagreement with science for each of 11 issues, the relative prevalence of each process depends on both the scientific issue and motivational pathway under examination.
44 citations
TL;DR: It is found that Evangelical Christians are generally more trusting of religious authority figures to tell the truth about the risks and benefits of science and technology, and only slightly less likely than non-Evangelicals to trust scientific authorities for the same information.
Abstract: Given the ethical questions that surround emerging science, this study is interested in studying public trust in scientific and religious authorities for information about the risks and benefits of...
43 citations
TL;DR: Results show that while religiosity is on average negatively associated with the five outcomes, the relationship between religiosity and orientations towards science varies by country such that relig Curiosity is sometimes positively associated with with the different outcomes.
Abstract: Are the religious suspicious of science? Drawing on data from 52 nations in the World Values Survey (wave 6) (N = 58,474), I utilize multilevel models to examine the relationship between religiosit...
43 citations
TL;DR: The article distinguishes between an aggregative approach, deliberative systems theory, an eco-systemic and a decentred governance approach and argues that the latter allows us to study the complexities of public participation without relying on a normative concept of system and account for power relations that may structure the field of publicparticipation.
Abstract: The article discusses a recent systemic turn in public participation in science studies. It reviews the main lines of criticism brought forward in science, technology and society towards public participation in science discourse and argues that much of it refers to the field's preoccupation with isolated, stage-managed minipublics. It then discusses a series of efforts in science, technology and society, and other fields to study public participation in a more systemic or holistic perspective. The article advances the argument that there are different ways of conceptualizing such a perspective, not all of which are well equipped to account for contestation, conflict and power. We distinguish between an aggregative approach, deliberative systems theory, an eco-systemic and a decentred governance approach and argue that the latter allows us to study the complexities of public participation without relying on a normative concept of system and account for power relations that may structure the field of public participation.
42 citations
TL;DR: Results indicate that communicating higher levels of consensus increases perceptions of scientific certainty, which is associated with greater personal agreement and policy support for non-political issues, and is moderated by participants’ overall trust in science.
Abstract: Scholars have recently suggested that communicating levels of scientific consensus (e.g. the percentage of scientists who agree about human-caused climate change) can shift public opinion toward the dominant scientific opinion. Initial research suggested that consensus communication effectively reduces public skepticism. However, other research failed to find a persuasive effect for those with conflicting prior beliefs. This study enters this contested space by experimentally testing how different levels of consensus shape perceptions of scientific certainty. We further examine how perceptions of certainty influence personal agreement and policy support. Findings indicate that communicating higher levels of consensus increases perceptions of scientific certainty, which is associated with greater personal agreement and policy support for non-political issues. We find some suggestive evidence that this mediated effect is moderated by participants' overall trust in science, such that those with low trust in science fail to perceive higher agreement as indicative of greater scientific certainty.
39 citations
TL;DR: Drawing on a nationally representative survey of US adults, it is shown that religiosity is a strong positive predictor of looking to religious sources for scientific information, but it does not deter seeking out scientific sources.
Abstract: Measurement of public trust in sources of information about science primarily examines whether the public turns to the "science communication industry" for information about science. Research posits, however, that scientists are not the singular cultural authority on science. Here, we examine the extent to which people turn to religion and religious individuals for information about science. Drawing on a nationally representative survey of US adults, we examine what factors-when individuals have a question about science-shape respondent's likelihood of turning to science-based versus religion-based sources. Results show that religiosity is a strong positive predictor of looking to religious sources for scientific information, but it does not deter seeking out scientific sources. The results also show that interest in science has a positive influence on the likelihood of turning to a religious source.
TL;DR: It may be time to reconsider the ontology of publics and the disengaged for science communication, and the contrast between ‘common sense’ and scholarly ideas of media and audiences in the field of cultural and media studies is compared.
Abstract: In this article, we suggest that three concepts from cultural and media studies might be useful for analysing the ways audiences are constructed in science communication: that media are immanent to society, media are multiple and various, and audiences are active. This article uses those concepts, along with insights from Science and Technology Studies (STS), to examine the category of ‘the disengaged’ within science communication. This article deals with the contrast between ‘common sense’ and scholarly ideas of media and audiences in the field of cultural and media studies. It compares the ‘common sense’ with scholarly ideas of science publics from STS. We conclude that it may be time to reconsider the ontology of publics and the disengaged for science communication.
TL;DR: Drawing from interviews with mothers who refused one or more vaccines, participants’ explanations reflected critical, postmodern, and feminist perspectives on science and knowledge production and can help explain the persistence of the controversy surrounding childhood vaccines in the United States.
Abstract: Individuals who refuse vaccines are often painted as anti-science or ill-informed. However, drawing from interviews with 50 mothers who refused one or more vaccines (n = 50), results from this stud...
TL;DR: This research focuses on the perspective of project initiators and explores how crowd science projects are set up and categorise the tasks allocated to volunteers, and reflects on the issue of quality assurance as well as feedback mechanisms.
Abstract: Crowd science is scientific research that is conducted with the participation of volunteers who are not professional scientists. Thanks to the Internet and online platforms, project initiators can draw on a potentially large number of volunteers. This crowd can be involved to support data-rich or labour-intensive projects that would otherwise be unfeasible. So far, research on crowd science has mainly focused on analysing individual crowd science projects. In our research, we focus on the perspective of project initiators and explore how crowd science projects are set up. Based on multiple case study research, we discuss the objectives of crowd science projects and the strategies of their initiators for accessing volunteers. We also categorise the tasks allocated to volunteers and reflect on the issue of quality assurance as well as feedback mechanisms. With this article, we contribute to a better understanding of how crowd science projects are set up and how volunteers can contribute to science. We suggest that our findings are of practical relevance for initiators of crowd science projects, for science communication as well as for informed science policy making.
TL;DR: Predictive ability of the available variables appears to be modest when included together as part of multivariate analyses, and a need for additional discussions aimed at considering revisions to the core survey questions used to track views about science and technology in the United States is suggested.
Abstract: This study investigates how well the main science and technology focused variables included in the General Social Survey (2006-2014) by the National Science Foundation do in predicting support for science funding These questions form the primary basis of part of a biannual report to federal lawmakers It is therefore important to consider whether the most useful variables are included in the survey The results suggest some bivariate relationships between funding support and demographics, use of science communication channels, science knowledge, and attitudes about science and scientists However, the overall predictive ability of the available variables appears to be modest when included together as part of multivariate analyses The results suggest a need for additional discussions aimed at considering revisions to the core survey questions used to track views about science and technology in the United States
TL;DR: Qualitative research performed to unravel the underlying dynamics of problem setting and framing in citizen discussions on synthetic biology found that most people are not inherently for or against synthetic biology as a technology or development in itself, but that their perspectives are framed by core values about the authors' relationships with science and technology.
Abstract: Synthetic biology is an emerging scientific field where engineers and biologists design and build biological systems for various applications. Developing synthetic biology responsibly in the public interest necessitates a meaningful societal dialogue. In this article, we argue that facilitating such a dialogue requires an understanding of how people make sense of synthetic biology. We performed qualitative research to unravel the underlying dynamics of problem setting and framing in citizen discussions on synthetic biology. We found that most people are not inherently for or against synthetic biology as a technology or development in itself, but that their perspectives are framed by core values about our relationships with science and technology and that sensemaking is much dependent on the context and general feelings of (dis)content. Given that there are many assumptions focused on a more binary idea of the public's view, we emphasize the need for frame awareness and understanding in a meaningful dialogue.
TL;DR: It is shown that projects presented on science-only crowdfunding platforms have a higher success rate and are more likely to be successful if their presentation includes visualizations and humor, and the lower their targeted funding is, the less personal data potential donors have to relinquish and the more interaction between researchers and donors is possible.
Abstract: Crowdfunding has emerged as an additional source for financing research in recent years. The study at hand identifies and tests explanatory factors influencing the success of scientific crowdfunding projects by drawing on news value theory, the “reputation signaling” approach, and economic theories of online payment. A standardized content analysis of 371 projects on English- and German-language platforms reveals that each theory provides factors influencing crowdfunding success. It shows that projects presented on science-only crowdfunding platforms have a higher success rate. At the same time, projects are more likely to be successful if their presentation includes visualizations and humor, the lower their targeted funding is, the less personal data potential donors have to relinquish and the more interaction between researchers and donors is possible. This suggests that after donors decide to visit a scientific crowdfunding platform, factors unrelated to science matter more for subsequent funding decis...
TL;DR: The findings show that individuals offered a narrative in which public engagement performed more than one function, and public engagement was presented as core to the project’s success – needed to encourage involvement and ultimately recruitment.
Abstract: The United Kingdom's 100,000 Genomes Project has the aim of sequencing 100,000 genomes from National Health Service patients such that whole genome sequencing becomes routine clinical practice. It also has a research-focused goal to provide data for scientific discovery. Genomics England is the limited company established by the Department of Health to deliver the project. As an innovative scientific/clinical venture, it is interesting to consider how Genomics England positions itself in relation to public engagement activities. We set out to explore how individuals working at, or associated with, Genomics England enacted public engagement in practice. Our findings show that individuals offered a narrative in which public engagement performed more than one function. On one side, public engagement was seen as 'good practice'. On the other, public engagement was presented as core to the project's success - needed to encourage involvement and ultimately recruitment. We discuss the implications of this in this article.
TL;DR: It is argued that researchers, knowledge brokers and the public produce – as well as operate within – a complex visualisation space characterised by mutual, bi-directional connections.
Abstract: Researchers increasingly use visualisation to make sense of their data and communicate findings more widely. But these are not necessarily straightforward processes. Theories of knowledge brokerage show how sociopolitical contexts and intermediary organisations that translate research for public audiences shape how users engage with evidence. Applying these ideas to data visualisation, I argue that several kinds of brokers (such as data collectors, designers and intermediaries) link researchers and audiences, contributing to the ways that people engage with visualisations. To do this, I draw on qualitative focus groups that elicited non-academic viewers' reactions to visualisations of data about UK migration. The results reveal two important features of engagement: perceptions of brokers' credibility and feelings of surprise arising from visualisations' content and design. I conclude by arguing that researchers, knowledge brokers and the public produce - as well as operate within - a complex visualisation space characterised by mutual, bi-directional connections.
TL;DR: Nigeria is a large country with a complex diversity of religious, ethnic and cultural practices that condition the reception and elaboration of science in everyday life, and evaluative attitudes to science are structured as ‘progress’, ‘fear’ and ‘mythical image’.
Abstract: This study, of modern common sense in Nigeria, combines questionnaires and interviews to examine the compatibility and incompatibility of religion and science. Nigeria is a large country with a complex diversity of religious, ethnic and cultural practices that condition the reception and elaboration of science in everyday life. We find evaluative attitudes to science structured as ‘progress’, ‘fear’ and ‘mythical image’. Scientific knowledge and religiosity have a direct bearing on expectations of progress and feeling of fear and worry about science; mythical image is independent of this. Nigerians trust both scientific and religious authorities in contrast to other social actors. Many of the results are consistent with the hypothesis of cognitive polyphasia of scientific and religious knowing manifesting as a ‘hierarchy’, when one form is elevated over the other; ‘parallelity’, when both serve separate functions; and ‘empowerment’, where one enhances the other.
TL;DR: It is found that while the public is broadly supportive of new scientific developments, the public sees the risks and social and ethical issues associated with them as unpredictable but inherent parts of the developments, while the scientific experts and policymakers see them as manageable and quantifiable with more research and knowledge.
Abstract: Over the past 10 years, numerous public debates on new and emerging science and technologies have taken place in the United Kingdom. In this article, we characterise the discourses emerging from these debates and compare them to the discourses in analogous expert scientific and policy reports. We find that while the public is broadly supportive of new scientific developments, they see the risks and social and ethical issues associated with them as unpredictable but inherent parts of the developments. In contrast, the scientific experts and policymakers see risks and social and ethical issues as manageable and quantifiable with more research and knowledge. We argue that these differences amount to two different sociotechnical imaginaries or views of science and how it shapes our world - an elite imaginary of 'science to the rescue' shared by scientists and policymakers and public counter-imaginary of 'contingent progress'. We argue that these two imaginaries indicate that, but also help explain why, public dialogue has had limited impact on public policy.
TL;DR: It is argued that the intermedia frame setting may change its direction over time, and different media outlets may be influential in leading different aspects of the conversation.
Abstract: We investigate how the online news and Twitter framed the discussion about genetically modified mosquitoes, and the interplay between the two media platforms. The study is grounded in the theoretic...
TL;DR: It is suggested that the radio may be an effective means of increasing the exposure of men to health information in resource poor settings.
Abstract: Radio is an effective source of health information in many resource poor countries. In Malawi, 53% of households own radios however few radio programmes in Malawi focus on health issues in the context of medical research. An interactive health-talk radio programme ‘Umoyo nkukambirana’ was introduced by Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme on a national radio station. The aim was to increase awareness of health and medical research, and improve engagement between researchers, healthcare workers and the public. The content and presentation were developed through participatory community consultations. Focus Group Discussions were conducted with established Radio Listening Clubs whilst quantitative data was collected using toll free FrontlineSMS to explore national response. A total of 277 to 695 SMS (Median: 477) were received per theme. The majority of SMS were received from men (64%) and mainly from rural areas (54%). The programme improved knowledge of medical research, health and dispelled misconceptions. This study suggests that the radio may be an effective means of increasing the exposure of men to health information in resource poor settings.
TL;DR: The results suggest that information visualisation was a key factor in the popularisation of the epidemic’s technical-biomedical aspects, as well as contributing actively to construct, in the words of Myers, a narrative of nature.
Abstract: This study explores the role that information visualisation played in the popularisation of the technical-biomedical aspects of the last Ebola virus epidemic, the most devastating to date. Applying content analysis methods, the total population of information visualisations ( N = 209) was coded and analysed to identify topics, and to define features and identify patterns in the images. The corpus was based on the record of articles with graphics appearing in five Spanish reference newspapers from 22 March 2014 to 13 January 2016, the start and suppression of the epidemic, respectively. The results suggest that information visualisation was a key factor in the popularisation of the epidemic's technical-biomedical aspects, as well as contributing actively to construct, in the words of Myers, a narrative of nature.
TL;DR: The findings show that six South African publics can be distinguished, and that – despite the fact that all publics see more promises of science than reservations – there tend to be sensitive differences between these publics.
Abstract: Against the background that surveys measuring public perceptions of science and technology are often removed from cultural contexts and do not equally represent all regions of the world, this study investigated attitudes towards science and technology among different publics of the South African population. To apply a culture-sensitive approach, theoretical considerations of cultural distance were combined with methodological considerations of segmentation studies, and representative data (n = 3183) were reanalysed. The findings show that six South African publics can be distinguished, and that – despite the fact that all publics see more promises of science than reservations – there tend to be sensitive differences between these publics. In the long run, such findings might help to make science communication more effective.
TL;DR: Overall, the findings reveal that lay people use analogies to make arguments and enforce framings rather than to just make sense of nanotechnology, which refutes the assumption of a public opinion deficit.
Abstract: Lay people are increasingly invited to deliberate on emerging technologies in public engagement settings. Analogies appear frequently in these contexts and are commonly understood as means of making sense of and forming an opinion on emerging technologies. This article provides an alternative perspective, which conceptualizes analogies as rhetorical devices employed to achieve specific functions. A repertoire of rhetorical roles is traced in four public engagement settings on nanotechnology: (1) analogies suggesting acceptance/rejection of specific nano-applications, (2) anticipatory and alerting analogies constructed to plausibilize and prevent futures, (3) killer analogies closing debate and arguments, and (4) "nano is not like nano" moves that distinguish between application domains. Each role points to specific dimensions and tensions of public engagement processes. Overall, the findings reveal that lay people use analogies to make arguments and enforce framings rather than to just make sense of nanotechnology, which refutes the assumption of a public opinion deficit.
TL;DR: The effect of education is complex and varies between different religious groups, but that faith school attendance is associated with more acceptance of evolution for people belonging to groups that tend to reject it.
Abstract: According to poll results and media reports, Britain has a significant and growing number of creationists. However, little scholarly research has been carried out to explore this phenomenon. We present results from a national survey of 6020 individuals to give a comprehensive picture of contemporary public attitudes to evolution in Britain. Furthermore, we explore the effects of religion and education on attitudes to evolution. Unique to this study, we analyse the effects of attending a religiously affiliated school (‘faith school’) on acceptance of evolutionary theory. We examine these effects in the general population, and additionally, across different Christian, Muslim and Non-Religious subpopulations. Results give strong evidence that the number of creationists has been overstated previously. We find the effect of education is complex and varies between different religious groups, but that faith school attendance is associated with more acceptance of evolution for people belonging to groups that tend to reject it.
TL;DR: Examination of Richard Dawkins’ involvement in public debates related to the relationship between science and religion as a case to analyze scientists’ perceptions of the role celebrity scientists play in the public sphere and the implications of celebrity science for the practice of science communication shows that Dawkins' proponents view the celebrity scientist as a provocateur who asserts the cultural authority of science in thepublic sphere.
Abstract: Drawing on 48 in-depth interviews conducted with biologists and physicists at universities in the United Kingdom, this study examines scientists' perceptions of the role celebrity scientists play in socially contentious public debates. We examine Richard Dawkins' involvement in public debates related to the relationship between science and religion as a case to analyze scientists' perceptions of the role celebrity scientists play in the public sphere and the implications of celebrity science for the practice of science communication. Findings show that Dawkins' proponents view the celebrity scientist as a provocateur who asserts the cultural authority of science in the public sphere. Critics, who include both religious and nonreligious scientists, argue that Dawkins misrepresents science and scientists and reject his approach to public engagement. Scientists emphasize promotion of science over the scientist, diplomacy over derision, and dialogue over ideological extremism.
TL;DR: Analysis of Special Eurobarometer (2010) data via multilevel regression modeling and answers two questions: How a country’s democratization level is related to the rate of public engagement with science and who are those citizens who participate in science policy-shaping and express their approval for democratic governance of science.
Abstract: In this article, we analyze Special Eurobarometer (2010) data via multilevel regression modeling and answer two questions: (a) How a country’s democratization level is related to the rate of public engagement with science and (b) who are those citizens who participate in science policy-shaping and express their approval for democratic governance of science? Reflexive modernization and institutional alienation perspectives are used to examine those issues. It has been shown that more democratic societies on average have higher rates of public participation in science and support for democratic control of it. Moreover, those well educated and knowledgeable in the topic of science are more likely to engage with science, which supports the reflexive modernization perspective. However, distrust in scientists being considered as an indicator of institutional alienation from science is also crucial in both predicting actual engagement and support for public control over it.
TL;DR: The lack of distinction observed overall between different explanations, as well as within classes, raises challenges for further research on explanations of scientific disputes people find credible and why.
Abstract: A survey experiment assessed response to five explanations of scientific disputes: problem complexity, self-interest, values, competence, and process choices (e.g. theories and methods). A US lay s...