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3 Science Communication in a Politically Charged Environment
Pages 13-24

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From page 13...
... People are more likely to get scientific information from social media or politically partisan news sources. Political polarization has made some people less likely to trust information from 13
From page 14...
... Surveys by the American National Election Studies, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and other organizations document increasing hostility toward the outparty, along with increased social distance depending on party affiliation. Other results suggest that implicit bias against the outparty exceeds the levels of implicit bias based on race (Iyengar and Westwood, 2015)
From page 15...
... When a political party has developed a reputation or a stance on a particular policy issue, the adherents of that party tend to follow the cues supplied by party leaders. Provision of expert information can change the preferences of policy makers, Iyengar observed, though sometimes in counterintuitive ways.
From page 16...
... In 1987 the commission eliminated the doctrine. Following the spread of the Internet in the 1990s, social media became a major new source of information and Internet news sites became alternatives to the mainstream press.
From page 17...
... In one project, Morgan and Bruine de Bruin studied messages about removing carbon dioxide from power plant emissions and putting it deep underground, thereby helping to curb climate change by preventing carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. A series of interviews in the early 2000s found that most interviewees had not heard of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS)
From page 18...
... "If you don't test your communications, then you run the risk of spending time and effort in disseminating something that doesn't help people make more informed decisions," said Bruine de Bruin. More broadly, Morgan and Bruine de Bruin identified a need for research that brings together domain experts who can provide technical expertise and social scientists who can provide expertise on ensuring understanding with the intended audience.
From page 19...
... COUNTERING VACCINE HESITANCY "Vaccines work," stated Christine Finley, immunization program manager at the Vermont Department of Health. The incidence of rubella, mumps, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, measles, chicken pox, diphtheria, whooping cough, and polio -- which together used to plague millions of Americans, mostly children -- has dramatically decreased as vaccinations for these diseases have become widely available.
From page 20...
... She and Brendan Nyhan, professor in the Department of Government at Dartmouth College, have therefore formed a partnership to evaluate new approaches to promoting vaccination by determining the most effective messages and strategies in countering vaccine hesitancy. Their prospective study was one of two described at the colloquium that were chosen through a competitive process for support by the Rita Allen Foundation and the Arthur M
From page 21...
... Finally, she called attention to the effects of cultural differences on vaccine hesitancy -- for example, some population groups may be more likely to worry about possible side effects of vaccines than others. Paul Hanle, president and chief executive officer of Climate Central, pointed to the parallels between the approach Finley and Nyhan are taking and the approach needed to understand public perceptions of climate change.
From page 22...
... But, together, the studies provide "quite limited support for the specific hypothesis that the false beliefs about vaccination and autism drive low vaccination rates." Hornik called attention to a different association -- between vaccine rates and economic status. Completion rates for the seven-vaccine series are substantially lower for children living below the poverty line than children living above the line.
From page 23...
... "Scientific misinformation may matter, but it does not always matter. We need to show that it does." THE INFLUENCE OF SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND CULTURAL LITERACY Adding to the complexity of science communication is the problem of science, health, and cultural literacy, said Susan Scrimshaw, co-chair of the board of directors for the Nevin Scrimshaw International Nutrition Foundation and former president of the Sage Colleges.
From page 24...
... They have shifted away from newspapers and television to Internet sites and social media contacts. Judging credibility, developing trust, and understanding sources are all different for these media than for traditional media.


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