Given that trust plays a key role in the communication of scientific information about the environment to the public, this study examines what explains trust in specific sources of such information. In doing so, it analyzes whether—and, if so, how—political ideology, support for environmental regulation, religiosity, trust in people, and trust in government predict trust in scientists, the Environmental Protection Agency, environmental organizations, news media, and science media. It also examines whether trust in scientists is associated with trust in the other sources in light of how each of the latter draws on the credibility of the former.

This study uses survey data to examine how various forms of media use are related to public perceptions of DNA evidence, including self-perceived understanding of DNA, perceptions of DNA evidence as reliable, weight attached to DNA evidence (or the absence thereof) in jury decision making, and support for a national DNA databank.The hypotheses build on cultivation theory, priming theory, and research regarding the “ CSI effect.” The findings indicate that overall television viewing, crime television viewing, and news media use predict perceptions of DNA evidence. Moreover, a question-order experiment produced evidence that priming thoughts about media can influence such perceptions.

The popularity of forensic crime shows such as CSI has fueled debate about their potential social impact. This study considers CSI's potential effects on public understandings regarding DNA testing in the context of judicial processes, the policy debates surrounding crime laboratory procedures, and the forensic science profession, as well as an effect not discussed in previous accounts: namely, the show's potential impact on public understandings of DNA and genetics more generally. To develop a theoretical foundation for research on the "CSI effect," it draws on cultivation theory, social cognitive theory, and audience reception studies. It then uses content analysis and textual analysis to illuminate how the show depicts DNA testing. The results demonstrate that CSI tends to depict DNA testing as routine, swift, useful, and reliable and that it echoes broader discourses about genetics. At times, however, the show suggests more complex ways of thinking about DNA testing and genetics.

This article presents an ethnographic analysis of an often‐overlooked element of social capital—commitment—on Coming up Roses, an online pregnancy and mothering support group. Specifically, it examines the architecture of commitment: the ways in which the site’s social and technical design influences the commitment that members feel toward the site and one another. In so doing, this account illuminates how social life and technical life mutually construct one another in online support environments. It also demonstrates that a site’s social and technical features can produce multiple and even contradictory effects, depending on the social and historical contexts in which users engage it.

College students experienced increased stress and anxiety during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This study evaluated the effect of brief online Isha Upa Yoga modules on undergraduates' mental health and well‐being. Randomized control trial (RCT) with waitlist control crossover (N = 679). The intervention group was instructed to learn and practice the modules daily for 12 weeks. At the end of the 4‐week RCT, the control group was instructed to learn and practice the modules for the remaining 8 weeks. Primary outcomes included stress and well‐being. Secondary outcomes included anxiety, depression, resilience, positive affect and negative affect. Linear mixed‐effects models were used for analyses. Isha Upa Yoga significantly reduced stress (Group [intervention, control] × Time [baseline, Week 4] interaction, p = .009, d = .27) and increased well‐being (Group × Time interaction p = .002, d = .32). By the study's end, the intervention and control groups experienced significant improvements in well‐being (p < .001, p < .001), stress (p < .001, p < .001), anxiety (p < .001, p < .001), depression (p < .001, p = .004), positive affect (p = .04, p < .001), and negative affect (p < .001, p < .001). Online Isha Upa Yoga shows promise for mitigating the pandemic's negative impact on undergraduates' mental health and improving their well‐being.

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The controversy surrounding the potential health effects of bisphenol A (BPA) has recently spread from the scientific arena to mass mediated public debate. This study presents a theoretical account of low-information rationality to explain why media use (including newspaper use and online health information use) and confidence in key actors (including business, the Food and Drug Administration, and scientists) may predict public responses to BPA. It then analyzes survey data to examine how these factors are related to familiarity with BPA, concern about it, support for a ban on it, and behaviors to reduce exposure to it.

Recent studies have explored how the US public responded to the March for Science protests that took place around the world on April 22, 2017, as well as why individuals participated in these protests. Yet, little research has examined how participants used social media and other channels to learn, communicate, and form behavioral intentions regarding the movement. In addressing these questions, the present study conceptualizes the March for Science as a “networked protest.” It then analyzes data from two surveys: one distributed through social media in the month preceding the March for Science events, and one conducted at the Washington, DC event. The results suggest that social media—particularly Facebook—played key roles in how respondents learned and communicated about the protest. At the same time, respondents also learned and communicated about it through other channels, including texting, email, and face-to-face conversations. Both social media respondents and in-person respondents reported that their experiences with the March had increased their likelihood of undertaking future online and offline actions. Furthermore, communicating through Facebook and Twitter predicted a range of self-reported effects of March experiences on intentions to undertake future actions, whereas learning through social media largely failed to do so. Thus, some—but not all—social media uses may have encouraged participants to sustain both online and offline engagement. Taken together, the findings carry potential implications for how the March for Science and other networked protests can use social media and other communication forms to mobilize supporters and facilitate long-term engagement.