{"title":"Declaring crisis? Temporal constructions of climate change on Wikipedia.","authors":"Olivia Steiert","doi":"10.1177/09636625241268890","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09636625241268890","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>On Wikipedia, editors daily negotiate edits to an entry that summarizes climate change to a global audience. The outcome of their efforts is an encyclopedic entry with a conspicuous lack of temporal clarity that circumvents the question of whether climate change is an immediate crisis or merely a potential future phenomenon. This qualitative discourse analysis of editors' debates around climate change on Wikipedia argues that their hesitancy to \"declare crisis\" is not a conscious editorial choice as much as an outcome of a friction between the folk philosophy of science Wikipedia is built upon, editors' own sense of urgency, and their anticipations about audience uptake of their writing. This friction shapes a group style that fosters temporal ambiguity. Hence, the findings suggest that in the Wikipedia entry on climate change, platform affordances and contestation of expertise foreclose a declaration of climate crisis.</p>","PeriodicalId":48094,"journal":{"name":"Public Understanding of Science","volume":" ","pages":"188-203"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142156390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"1997: \"Your genes, your choices\" and public education about the ethical, legal and social issues of the Human Genome Project.","authors":"Charnell Peters","doi":"10.1177/09636625241300390","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09636625241300390","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48094,"journal":{"name":"Public Understanding of Science","volume":" ","pages":"256-260"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142787259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Does exposure necessarily lead to misbelief? A meta-analysis of susceptibility to health misinformation.","authors":"Jinhui Li, Xiaodong Yang","doi":"10.1177/09636625241266150","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09636625241266150","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A meta-analysis was conducted to quantify the overall effect of health misinformation exposure on shaping misbelief. Aggregation of results from 28 individual randomized controlled trial studies (<i>n</i> = 8752) reveals a positive but small average effect, <i>d</i> = 0.28. Moderation analyses suggest that adults who are younger and female tend to develop higher misbelief if exposed to health misinformation. Furthermore, media platform, message falsity, and misbelief measurements also contribute to the exposure effect. These findings offer nuanced but crucial insights into existing misinformation literature, and development of more effective strategies to mitigate the adverse impacts of health misinformation.</p>","PeriodicalId":48094,"journal":{"name":"Public Understanding of Science","volume":" ","pages":"222-242"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141894619","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sophia Charlotte Volk, Mike S Schäfer, Damiano Lombardi, Daniela Mahl, Xiaoyue Yan
{"title":"How generative artificial intelligence portrays science: Interviewing ChatGPT from the perspective of different audience segments.","authors":"Sophia Charlotte Volk, Mike S Schäfer, Damiano Lombardi, Daniela Mahl, Xiaoyue Yan","doi":"10.1177/09636625241268910","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09636625241268910","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Generative artificial intelligence in general and ChatGPT in particular have risen in importance. ChatGPT is widely known and used increasingly as an information source for different topics, including science. It is therefore relevant to examine how ChatGPT portrays science and science-related issues. Research on this question is lacking, however. Hence, we simulate \"interviews\" with ChatGPT and reconstruct how it presents science, science communication, scientific misbehavior, and controversial scientific issues. Combining qualitative and quantitative content analysis, we find that, generally, ChatGPT portrays science largely as the STEM disciplines, in a positivist-empiricist way and a positive light. When comparing ChatGPT's responses to different simulated user profiles and responses from the GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 versions, we find similarities in that the scientific consensus on questions such as climate change, COVID-19 vaccinations, or astrology is consistently conveyed across them. Beyond these similarities in substance, however, pronounced differences are found in the personalization of responses to different user profiles and between GPT-3.5 and GPT-4.</p>","PeriodicalId":48094,"journal":{"name":"Public Understanding of Science","volume":" ","pages":"132-153"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11783972/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142337084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Thank you reviewers.","authors":"","doi":"10.1177/09636625251314600","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625251314600","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48094,"journal":{"name":"Public Understanding of Science","volume":"34 2","pages":"263-268"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143069017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Esther Greussing, Lars Guenther, Ayelet Baram-Tsabari, Shakked Dabran-Zivan, Evelyn Jonas, Inbal Klein-Avraham, Monika Taddicken, Torben Esbo Agergaard, Becca Beets, Dominique Brossard, Anwesha Chakraborty, Antoinette Fage-Butler, Chun-Ju Huang, Siddharth Kankaria, Yin-Yueh Lo, Kristian H Nielsen, Michelle Riedlinger, Hyunjin Song
{"title":"The perception and use of generative AI for science-related information search: Insights from a cross-national study.","authors":"Esther Greussing, Lars Guenther, Ayelet Baram-Tsabari, Shakked Dabran-Zivan, Evelyn Jonas, Inbal Klein-Avraham, Monika Taddicken, Torben Esbo Agergaard, Becca Beets, Dominique Brossard, Anwesha Chakraborty, Antoinette Fage-Butler, Chun-Ju Huang, Siddharth Kankaria, Yin-Yueh Lo, Kristian H Nielsen, Michelle Riedlinger, Hyunjin Song","doi":"10.1177/09636625241308493","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09636625241308493","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Publicly accessible large language models like ChatGPT are emerging as novel information intermediaries, enabling easy access to a wide range of science-related information. This study presents survey data from seven countries (<i>N</i> = 4320) obtained in July and August 2023, focusing on the perception and use of GenAI for science-related information search. Despite the novelty of ChatGPT, a sizable proportion of respondents already reported using it to access science-related information. In addition, the study explores how these users perceive ChatGPT compared with traditional types of information intermediaries (e.g. Google Search), their knowledge of, and trust in GenAI, compared with nonusers as well as compared with those who use ChatGPT for other purposes. Overall, this study provides insights into the perception and use of GenAI at an early stage of adoption, advancing our understanding of how this emerging technology shapes public understanding of science issues as an information intermediary.</p>","PeriodicalId":48094,"journal":{"name":"Public Understanding of Science","volume":" ","pages":"9636625241308493"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143075904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kaisa Torkkeli, Milla Karvonen, Daria Pritup, Johanna Enqvist
{"title":"'It benefits every moment': Understandings of and engagements in science-related practices in everyday life.","authors":"Kaisa Torkkeli, Milla Karvonen, Daria Pritup, Johanna Enqvist","doi":"10.1177/09636625241309055","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09636625241309055","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Drawing from science capital research and applying current practice theory, this study sheds light on people's perceptions of science and science-related practices in their everyday lives. The study develops a practice theoretical approach to examine understandings and engagements embedded in socially shared everyday science-related practices. The analysis of 51 interviews with Finnish people aged 20 to 88 with varied educational and socio-economic backgrounds brings participants' voices into a discussion. The findings suggest that science is understood as a generally valuable all-compassing phenomenon offering a means to explain the world and address complex issues. Participants commonly reported engaging with science in their professional lives, regardless of their educational background or employment status. However, most interviewees implied a lack of confidence to engage in science due to the perceived norms of institutionalised science. This study reveals the need for more critical reflection on the approaches of science-promoting practitioners to advance science engagement.</p>","PeriodicalId":48094,"journal":{"name":"Public Understanding of Science","volume":" ","pages":"9636625241309055"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143048309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A matter of right or wrong: Divisive attributes of moralized science and technology attitudes.","authors":"Robin Bayes","doi":"10.1177/09636625241304058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625241304058","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In recent years, scholars have theorized that one factor enflaming public divides over science and technology is moralization: an individual's perception that their position on an issue is rooted in fundamental moral right and wrong. In this article, I provide evidence for this proposition across five pre-registered hypotheses about the divisive attributes of moralized attitudes in the context of science and technology. Using public opinion data in the United States on three issues-combating climate change, developing gene editing therapies for humans, and labeling genetically modified food-this study demonstrates that moralized attitudes have the potential to exacerbate resistance to scientific evidence and hostility between those with opposing positions. These findings provide strong proof of concept that studying variation in the degree to which individuals moralize issues is an important future direction for understanding persistent public divides over science and technology.</p>","PeriodicalId":48094,"journal":{"name":"Public Understanding of Science","volume":" ","pages":"9636625241304058"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143014195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"COVID scientists as rhetorical citizens: Persuasive op-eds and public debate over science policy.","authors":"Collin Syfert, Leah Ceccarelli","doi":"10.1177/09636625241304064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625241304064","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To discover the means of persuasion available to experts who embrace the responsibility of public communication in times of crisis, this study uses a text/countertext method of rhetorical analysis on U.S. newspaper editorials by scientists writing about COVID-19 policy. Model arguments to opposition audiences on pandemic restrictions and vaccine policy were selected for close reading. We examined how writers in a pro-con debate in a centrist newspaper appealed mainly to like-minded readers, failing to make arguments designed to change the opinions of those who did not already agree with them. The lack of rhetorical sensitivity in these editorials suggests a need for scientists to better utilize existing resources of language and argument when addressing opposition audiences. Exemplary editorials to opposition audiences in right-leaning and left-leaning newspapers were then examined to illustrate more promising strategies of public persuasion in highly partisan times.</p>","PeriodicalId":48094,"journal":{"name":"Public Understanding of Science","volume":" ","pages":"9636625241304064"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142956913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The climate <i>battles of ideas</i>: Minority discourses in readers' comments to climate change articles in the Portuguese press.","authors":"Nuno Monteiro Ramos, Paula Castro","doi":"10.1177/09636625241254505","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09636625241254505","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Today, the dominant climate change discourses affirm its anthropogenic nature and the urgency for policies. However, minority discourses remain active in the worldwide debate, refining arguments beyond simple denial-as shown regarding formal/official discourses of the United States and European far-right parties. This makes it necessary to examine the public understanding of climate change in everyday, informal minority discourses, looking at how they work for broadening societal space for \"quarantining\" the transformative potential of climate change meanings/policies. For this, we analyze readers' comments on climate change articles from two Portuguese newspapers, drawing from the frameworks of neutralization techniques and meaning barriers. Findings show that although denial of anthropogenic climate change remains, discursive efforts concentrate on person-stigmatizing depictions of climate change actors, delegitimized as \"elites\" in populist vocabularies, reflecting a consistent alignment between everyday discourses and those of the United States and European official far-right. We discuss the functions this pattern may have for the growth of climate change minority positions.</p>","PeriodicalId":48094,"journal":{"name":"Public Understanding of Science","volume":" ","pages":"59-75"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11673290/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141307165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}