The different audiences of science communication: A segmentation analysis of the Swiss population's perceptions of science and their information and media use patterns

Cognitive, affective, and behavioral engagement with science news predicted by the use of accessibility strategies in science-minded and general audiences

Numerous studies have explored internal factors such as cultural values and acquired knowledge accounting for how people engage with science. However, it remains unclear how external factors embedded in science texts relate to audience engagement. A content analysis of 298 text-based popular science news articles and their following 5852 reader comments was conducted in two Israeli audiences, science-minded and general readers, to explore how the accessibility strategies embedded in these articles relate to cognitive, affective, and behavioral engagement. Findings indicated similar patterns of relationship between accessibility strategies and engagement expressions for both audiences; however, the relationships were more pronounced for general readers compared to science-minded readers. Using jargon and a narrative writing style increased the odds of positive emotions in reader comments, whereas addressing socio-scientific issues increased the odds of cognitive expressions. These results may contribute to a fuller understanding of ways to drive meaningful public engagement.

Protists in science communication

Despite their high abundance and wide distribution in ecosystems, most protists remain unknown to the public. Although science communication approaches were developed in historical times to raise public awareness of these 'enigmatic' taxa, many aspects have not been considered in the spotlight of modern techniques. We present selected ideas and activities on how to attract the public to unicellular eukaryotes. We give examples of how protists can be included in educational work. We explain that trained non-experts can understand and teach others how to recognize protists, where they live, in which habitats they can be found, what they look like and why they are important. Consequently, members of the public can learn how environmental threats impact not only the lives of protists but also ours, e.g., by the accumulation of microplastics through an aquatic food web, up to fish used for human consumption. We suggest age-appropriate methods for application in workshops on protist recognition.

Engaging the public or asking your friends? Analysing science-related crowdfunding using behavioural and survey data

Science-related crowdfunding enables public engagement with science. However, we know little about citizens engaging with science this way: Who are the people engaging with and donating to science through crowdfunding - and how do they decide how much to give? This study analyses behavioural and survey data from the Swiss crowdfunding platform wemakeit (N = 576). Results illustrate that a small, non-representative segment of the public engages with science through crowdfunding. Compared to the general public in Switzerland, these backers have an above-average education and income. Science-related crowdfunding mainly reaches citizens with an existing interest in science, personal ties to project initiators or the scientific community. The size of backers' donations correlates with perceived personal appeals in campaigns or connections to initiators rather than projects' scientific merit. While science-related crowdfunding thus opens up new avenues for public outreach by the scientific community, its potential for broader public engagement with science seems limited.

Who supports science-related populism? A nationally representative survey on the prevalence and explanatory factors of populist attitudes toward science in Switzerland

Science and its epistemology have been challenged by science-related populism—a variant of populism suggesting that a virtuous “ordinary people,” and not allegedly corrupt academic elites, should determine the “production of truth.” Yet almost no studies have assessed the prevalence of science-related populist attitudes among the population and explanatory factors thereof. Based on a nationally representative survey in Switzerland, our study shows that only a minority of the Swiss exhibit science-related populist attitudes. Comparisons with reference studies suggest that these attitudes may be less prevalent in Switzerland than political populist attitudes. Those who hold stronger science-related populist attitudes tend to have no university education, less personal contact with science, lower scientific literacy, and higher interest in science. Additional analyses show that left-leaning citizens are less likely to hold science-related populist attitudes than moderate and right-leaning citizens. Our findings contribute to current debates about a potential fragmentation of science communication audiences and call for further research on the sociodemographic and attitudinal profiles of people with skeptical orientations toward science.

Eine Frage der Erwartungen?

Wissenschaftskommunikation trägt dazu bei, wissenschaftliches Wissen für die breite Öffentlichkeit zugänglich zu machen. Welche Ansprüche das Publikum hierbei an die Vermittlung richtet und inwiefern dies den Vorstellungen der Kommunikator*innen entspricht, wird bislang in Forschung und Praxis wenig berücksichtigt. Eine Auseinandersetzung mit Qualitätsfragen befindet sich in der Wissenschaftskommunikation noch in ihren Anfängen. Vor diesem Hintergrund wird auf der Grundlage des wissenschaftsjournalistischen Qualitätsdiskurses ein Vorschlag für mögliche Qualitätsdimensionen von Wissenschaftskommunikation entwickelt und am Beispiel des etablierten Formats der wissenschaftlichen Expert*innendebatte operationalisiert. Im Rahmen einer Pre-Post-Befragung erhebt die vorliegende Studie, orientiert an den Annahmen der Theorie der subjektiven Qualitätsauswahl von Wolling, Qualitätserwartungen und -bewertungen aus Publikumssicht. Die Perspektive der Formatverantwortlichen und was ihrer Ansicht nach die Qualität von Wissenschaftskommunikation kennzeichnet, wird kontrastierend in leitfadengestützten Expert*inneninterviews thematisiert.

Das Publikum erwartet insbesondere Glaubwürdigkeit, Zugänglichkeit, Unabhängigkeit, Neutralität und Vielfalt von dem Format und den debattierenden Expert*innen. Diese Dimensionen stellen gewissermaßen Grundvoraussetzungen dar, damit Teilnehmende den vermittelten Inhalten vertrauen und sie gegebenenfalls in ihrem Verhalten berücksichtigen können. Obwohl sich das Format in seiner Konzeption am Public Engagement-Paradigma orientiert, ist ihnen eine Einbindung weniger wichtig. Es zeigen sich Inkongruenzen zu dem, worauf die Kommunikator*innen beim Debattenformat Wert legen. Sie erachten im Unterschied zum Publikum eine hohe Themenaktualität und gesellschaftliche Relevanz als zentrale Qualitätsmerkmale. Das Spannungsfeld zwischen einem normativen Anspruch an Wissenschaftskommunikation und dessen Umsetzung in der Praxis spiegelt sich in ihren Aussagen wider.

Science-related populism declining during the COVID-19 pandemic: A panel survey of the Swiss population before and after the Coronavirus outbreak

In many countries, the COVID-19 pandemic led to increased public support for societal institutions including science, a phenomenon described as "rally-round-the-flag" dynamic. However, it is unclear if this dynamic has also reduced public resentment toward science such as science-related populist attitudes, that is, the preference of people's common sense over allegedly elitist scientific knowledge. We test this, relying on individual-level data from panel surveys before and during the pandemic in Switzerland. Results show that science-related populist attitudes decreased after the pandemic started. The decrease was more pronounced among people who had been strong supporters of science-related populism prior to the pandemic, but otherwise spread equally across different sociodemographic and attitudinal segments of the Swiss population. This shows that the Coronavirus outbreak has the potential to undermine persistent (populist) resentments toward science and its epistemology among the general population.

Diseases and Emotions: An Automated Content Analysis of Health Narratives in Inquiries to an Online Health Consultation Service

The internet is increasingly used as a source of health-related information by individuals making a medical decision. Online consultation services offer a safe and anonymous time- and place-independent space in which users can ask health-related questions combined with related individual health narratives, including associated emotions. Research on emotions in health narratives and medical communication is still at an early stage. This study investigates the users of an online consultation service themselves and the content of their inquiries related to health narratives, queried diseases, and the emotions expressed. An automated content analysis of all online inquiries to the University Hospital Zurich from 09/08/1999 to 07/06/2018 was conducted (N = 55,476 inquiries). The majority of users were female. Over time, however, significantly more men and older adults began to submit inquiries. The wide variety of medical inquiries submitted to the service extended across all categories in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and correlated with the statistical incidence of diseases in Switzerland. In line with theoretical assumptions about mood management and mood adjustment, users' health narratives most frequently expressed negative emotions like suffering, fear, worry, and shame. The results find support for a close link between health narratives and emotions. By providing an anonymous space where users can talk about diseases that may be a source of stigma or shame, online consultation services can empower patients and promote health literacy through the provision of individualized health information.

What drives science media use? Predictors of media use for information about science and research in digital information environments

This study analyzes the predictors of media use for information about science and research by drawing on the theory of planned behavior and audience orientations. It uses data from a representative survey in Switzerland. We find that both audience orientations and motivations explained the use of media to access science information. People with positive attitudes toward science were more likely to use all kinds of media to access information about science. Positive evaluations of mass media coverage predicted print media and website, television and radio use positively but social media use negatively. Thus, social media could be a way to reach people who do not appreciate the coverage of the traditional mass media as much as others but who are still positive toward science. However, people who use social media may possess lesser knowledge to assess to what extent such science information is trustworthy and correct.

Science-related populism: Conceptualizing populist demands toward science

Populism is on the rise in many countries. Scholars have stated that it is characteristic for political populism to describe society as a fundamental struggle between an allegedly virtuous people and political elites which are portrayed negatively. This anti-elitist sentiment not only targets politicians, however, but also other representatives of the alleged establishment-including scientists and scholarly institutions. But the specifics of such science-related populism have not yet been conceptualized. We aim to do so, integrating scholarship on political populism, the "participatory turn," and alternative epistemologies. We propose to conceptualize science-related populism as a set of ideas which suggests that there is a morally charged antagonism between an (allegedly) virtuous ordinary people and an (allegedly) unvirtuous academic elite, and that this antagonism is due to the elite illegitimately claiming and the people legitimately demanding both science-related decision-making sovereignty and truth-speaking sovereignty.

"Space means Science, unless it's about Star Wars": A qualitative assessment of science communication audience segments

Scholars of science communication have identified population segments that differ in their perceptions of and attitudes toward science as well as in their patterns of science-related information and media use. So far, however, most of these studies employed quantitative, standardized methods and their descriptions could not go into qualitative detail. This study fills this gap: It delivers an in-depth description of members of four audience segments that were identified in a prior, representative survey in Switzerland. Forty-one of these survey respondents, representing different segments, were asked to note their encounters with science in smartphone-based diaries, and diary entries were discussed in qualitative follow-up interviews. Results show that the segments differ in their criteria for identifying science, expectations toward science, and their reasons to use science communication.

Science communication scholars use more and more segmentation analyses: Can we take them to the next level?

Science communication scholars are publishing more and more segmentation analyses as they further our understanding of different audiences and their characteristics. They follow different aims, are therefore difficult to compare and do not lend themselves to more generalisable and theoretical knowledge production. Our field has the potential to follow a demand for more systematic efforts by taking advantage of our high-quality representative data sets focusing on public perceptions of science. Beforehand, however, science communication scholars using segmentation analyses have to identify common goals and overcome a number of hurdles concerning variable selection, methodological approaches, and transparency. Ultimately, a collaborative and systematic application of segmentation analyses could result in truly relevant insights for our field.

Who wants to be a citizen scientist? Identifying the potential of citizen science and target segments in Switzerland

Driven by the proliferation of digital media, citizen science - the involvement of non-scientists in scientific research - represents one of the most important recent developments in science communication as it brings science and the public closer together. So far, however, citizen science projects have mostly attracted people that are highly educated, mostly male and already have very positive attitudes towards science. Based on nationally representative survey data (N = 1051), our study explores the potential of citizen science in Switzerland. Using regression analysis, we show that attitudes towards science are significant antecedents of respondents' interest in participating in citizen science - but that gender and education are not. In addition, latent class analysis identifies five segments, representing over one-third of the Swiss population, who are interested in citizen science and could potentially be engaged: 'Free-Timers', 'Senior Sciencephiles', 'Young Sciencephiles', 'Intrigued Adolescents' and 'Fully Employed Parents'. Additional description suggests that previously overlooked segments are best addressed online via YouTube or offline in zoos or botanical gardens. Overall, our analysis suggests that citizen science's potential is far higher than previous projects were able to realize.