SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
IN SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CONTEXTS
Dietram A. Scheufele
John E. Ross Professor and Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Life Sciences Communication
University of Wisconsin—Madison
Slide 1 — © Scheufele 2013
Co-Chair, National Conference of Lawyers and Scientists
American Association for the Advancement of Science
National Academy of Sciences
Roundtable – Public Interfaces of the Life Sciences
Washington, DC, June 3, 2013
Slide 2 — © Scheufele 2013
MY COMMENTS TODAY
 Two challenges of communicating
today’s science in societal and
political contexts
 A few potential agenda items in
terms of what we do and don’t know
about effective communication in
social environments
Slide 3 — © Scheufele 2013
MY COMMENTS TODAY
 Two challenges of communicating
today’s science in societal and
political contexts
 A few potential agenda items in
terms of what we do and don’t know
about effective communication in
social environments
Slide 4 — © Scheufele 2013
FIRST, LIFE SCIENCES AS
PART OF AN NBIC REVOLUTION
 Rapid pace and scientific complexity of
Nano-Bio-Info-Cogno (NBIC) revolution
 Synthetic biology
 Information technologies, Big Data
 Nanomedicine
 etc.
 ELSI concerns emerging at a rate that
often outpaces society’s capacity to
debate appropriate policy options
SECOND, TRADITIONAL SCIENCE-PUBLIC
INTERFACES ARE CRUMBLING …
http://www.cjr.org/currents/hard_numbers_jf2013.php
Number of newspapers
with weekly science sections
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100
75
50
25
0
1989
1995
2012
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… AND ACADEMIC STRUCTURES
ARE NOT FAR BEHIND
Slide 7 — © Scheufele 2013
MY COMMENTS TODAY
 Two challenges of communicating
today’s science in societal and
political contexts
 A few potential agenda items in
terms of what we do and don’t know
about effective communication in
social environments
Slide 8 — © Scheufele 2013
MY COMMENTS TODAY
 Two challenges of communicating
today’s science in societal and
political contexts
 A few potential agenda items in
terms of what we do and don’t know
about effective communication in
social environments
 The science-public interface is
one of many socio-political
interfaces …
Slide 9 — © Scheufele 2013
SCIENCE COMPETING OVER FRAMES
AND MESSAGES WITH OTHER PLAYERS
 There is no such thing as a narrative
vacuum … at least not for long
 Once issues and frames are
established, they are difficult to change
(“global climate disruption” debate of
September 2010) and will continue to
shape perceptions and policy
Slide 10 — © Scheufele 2013
MY COMMENTS TODAY
 Two challenges of communicating
today’s science in societal and
political contexts
 A few potential agenda items in
terms of what we do and don’t know
about effective communication in
social environments
 Trust matters, but it is not
on the decline …
IN FACT, SCIENCE CONSISTENTLY OUTPERFORMS
OTHER INSTITUTIONS … INCLUDING THE PRESS
(Data based on National Opinion Research Center (NORC) personal interviews with national adult samples,
collected as part of continuing series of social indicators since 1972)
40
30
20
Press
Organized religion
Scientific community
10
2010
2008
2006
2004
2002
2000
1998
1996
1994
1993
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1984
0
1983
Percent expressing “a great deal of confidence”
in the people running the following institutions …
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50
Slide 13 — © Scheufele 2013
MY COMMENTS TODAY
 Two challenges of communicating
today’s science in societal and
political contexts
 A few potential agenda items in
terms of what we do and don’t know
about effective communication in
social environments
 We all use heuristics, especially
for uncertain science …
IRONICALLY, EVEN SCIENTISTS DON’T
EXCLUSIVELY RELY ON INFORMATION
Corley, E. A., Scheufele, D. A., & Hu, Q. (2009). Of risks and regulations: How leading US nanoscientists form policy stances about
nanotechnology. Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 11(7), 1573-1585. doi: 10.1007/s11051-009-9671-5
Slide 14 — © Scheufele 2013
Predicting views that nano research should be regulated …
Slide 15 — © Scheufele 2013
MY COMMENTS TODAY
 Two challenges of communicating
today’s science in societal and
political contexts
 A few potential agenda items in
terms of what we do and don’t know
about effective communication in
social environments
 Toward a world of “global
information distribution for the
people, by the people”
CAN CONTEXTUALIZED NEWS
UNDERMINE SCIENCE?
Slide 16 — © Scheufele 2013
Brossard, D., & Scheufele, D. A. (2013). Science, new media, and the public. Science, 33(6115), 40-41. doi: 10.1126/science.1232329
Slide 18 — © Scheufele 2013
MY COMMENTS TODAY
 Two challenges of communicating
today’s science in societal and
political contexts
 A few potential agenda items in
terms of what we do and don’t know
about effective communication in
social environments
 Communication not based on
empirical data is worse than no
communication …
BOOMERANG EFFECTS FROM
KNOWLEDGE DEFICIT APPPROACHES?
Percent who say news is
“exaggerated”
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Gallup polls since 1997
50
40
30
20
10
0
1997 2001 02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11 2012
“Thinking about what is said in the news, in your view is the seriousness of
global warming generally exaggerated, generally correct, or is it generally
underestimated?”
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A FEW BACKGROUND SOURCES
Brossard, D., & Scheufele, D. A. (2013). Science, new media, and the public. Science, 33(6115), 40-41.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234047926_Social_science._Science_new_media_and_the_pu
blic/file/32bfe510fdb1730c72.pdf
Brossard, D., Lewenstein, B., & Bonney, R. (2005). Scientific knowledge and attitude change: The impact of a
citizen science project. International Journal of Science Education, 27(9), 1099-1121. http://csssscience.preview.uen.org/downloads/citizen_science.pdf
Corley, E. A., Kim, Y., & Scheufele, D. A. (2011). Leading U.S. nano-scientists’ perceptions about media
coverage and the public communication of scientific research findings. Journal of Nanoparticle
Research, 13(12), 7041-7055.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224818300_Leading_U.S._nanoscientists_perceptions_about_media_coverage_and_the_public_communication_of_scientific_research_
findings/file/79e4151215459779e6.pdf
Nisbet, M. C., & Scheufele, D. A. (2009). What's next for science communication? Promising directions and
lingering distractions. American Journal of Botany, 96(10), 1767-1778.
http://www.amjbot.org/content/96/10/1767.full.pdf+html
Scheufele, D. A. (2006). Messages and heuristics: How audiences form attitudes about emerging technologies.
In J. Turney (Ed.), Engaging science: Thoughts, deeds, analysis and action (pp. 20-25). London: The
Wellcome Trust.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224818373_Messages_and_heuristics_How_audiences_form_
attitudes_about_emerging_technologies/file/9fcfd510ea28e8a9b4.pdf