Stewarding relations of trust: citizen scientist perspectives on fostering community trust in science

IF 2.4 Q3 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Environmental Sociology Pub Date : 2022-08-17 DOI:10.1080/23251042.2022.2112888

Edward E. Millar, Stephanie L Melles, J. Klug, Terry Rees

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引用次数: 1

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although citizen science can be characterised as a mechanism to counter anti-science attitudes and build public trust in science, the popularity of citizen science may be indicative of growing populism trends and public hostility towards professional expertise. We undertook a qualitative study of the attitudes of volunteer lake stewards in a long-running lake monitoring program in Ontario, Canada, considering themes related to fostering public trust in science. Semi-structured interviews (n = 40) were conducted with volunteers in the Lake Partner Program (LPP), Ontario, Canada, who were asked questions related to how they use the data they collect, how they communicate results to local audiences, and the extent to which they see themselves playing a role in strengthening community trust in scientific knowledge, institutions, and individuals that are involved in the program. Though trust in science is relational, imprecise, and difficult to categorise, our findings suggest that trust is linked to community reputation, the accessibility of scientific concepts, the ability to act when appropriate, and ongoing institutional support for volunteer efforts. Lake stewards see themselves as translators and emissaries of environmental science within their communities: under certain conditions, stewards can help to strengthen community trust.

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信任的管理关系:公民科学家的视角:培养科学的社区信任

摘要尽管公民科学可以被描述为一种对抗反科学态度和建立公众对科学信任的机制，但公民科学的普及可能预示着民粹主义趋势的加剧和公众对专业知识的敌意。在加拿大安大略省的一个长期湖泊监测项目中，我们对志愿者湖泊管理员的态度进行了定性研究，考虑到了与培养公众对科学的信任有关的主题。对加拿大安大略省湖泊合作伙伴计划（LPP）的志愿者进行了半结构化访谈（n=40），他们被问及如何使用他们收集的数据，如何将结果传达给当地受众，以及他们认为自己在多大程度上在加强社区对科学知识、机构、，以及参与该计划的个人。尽管对科学的信任是关系性的、不精确的，而且很难归类，但我们的研究结果表明，信任与社区声誉、科学概念的可及性、适当行动的能力以及对志愿者工作的持续机构支持有关。湖泊管理员将自己视为社区内环境科学的翻译人员和使者：在某些条件下，管理员可以帮助加强社区信任。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Environmental Sociology ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES-

CiteScore

4.60

自引率

12.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Environmental Sociology is dedicated to applying and advancing the sociological imagination in relation to a wide variety of environmental challenges, controversies and issues, at every level from the global to local, from ‘world culture’ to diverse local perspectives. As an international, peer-reviewed scholarly journal, Environmental Sociology aims to stretch the conceptual and theoretical boundaries of both environmental and mainstream sociology, to highlight the relevance of sociological research for environmental policy and management, to disseminate the results of sociological research, and to engage in productive dialogue and debate with other disciplines in the social, natural and ecological sciences. Contributions may utilize a variety of theoretical orientations including, but not restricted to: critical theory, cultural sociology, ecofeminism, ecological modernization, environmental justice, organizational sociology, political ecology, political economy, post-colonial studies, risk theory, social psychology, science and technology studies, globalization, world-systems analysis, and so on. Cross- and transdisciplinary contributions are welcome where they demonstrate a novel attempt to understand social-ecological relationships in a manner that engages with the core concerns of sociology in social relationships, institutions, practices and processes. All methodological approaches in the environmental social sciences – qualitative, quantitative, integrative, spatial, policy analysis, etc. – are welcomed. Environmental Sociology welcomes high-quality submissions from scholars around the world.