Exploring the Role of Trust and Credibility in
						Science Communication: Insights from the Sixth Summer Symposium on
						Science Communication

Hunt, Kathleen P.; Wald, Dara M.; Dahlstrom, Michael F.; Qu, Shuyang

doi:10.31274/sciencecommunication-181114-6

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The importance of communicating in ways that foster relationships of trust between citizens and experts, especially during times of crisis, is well-established within the fields of science and risk communication [Siegrist, 2019;Siegrist & Zingg, 2014]. Trust is a key factor in determining public perception of risk and compliance with public health measures, especially in contexts of high uncertainty [Hunt, Wald, Dahlstrom & Qu, 2018;Siegrist & Cvetkovich, 2000;Siegrist & Zingg, 2014]. In general, science and risk communication frameworks outline elements such as empathy, expertise, competence, integrity, goodwill, and dedication as crucial elements for demonstrating the communicator's trustworthiness [Besley, Lee & Pressgrove, 2020;Reynolds & Quinn, 2008;Mihelj, Kondor & Štětka, 2022].…”

Section: Trust In Science and Risk Communication Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who are “we”? Examining relational ethos in British Columbia, Canada's COVID-19 public health communication

Spoel¹,

Millar²,

Lacelle³

et al. 2023

Journal of Science Communication

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This paper investigates the multiple meanings and functions of the pronoun “we” in COVID-19 public updates by British Columbia's acclaimed Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry in 2020. Our rhetorical case study shows how “we” contributes to Henry's relational ethos by attempting to foster a communal identity with her implied audience while also distinguishing public health expertise, actions, and authority from citizens' knowledge and actions. Ambiguous uses of “we” blur the line between the knowledge and responsibilities of “we” in public health and “we” as citizens. Overall, our rhetorical analysis demonstrates the significant but ambivalent role this pronoun can play in building relations of social trust among citizens, experts, and institutions within public health and science communication contexts and it suggests the importance of judicious pronoun usage when communicators strive to foster these relations.

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Section: Trust In Science and Risk Communication Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who are “we”? Examining relational ethos in British Columbia, Canada's COVID-19 public health communication

Spoel¹,

Millar²,

Lacelle³

et al. 2023

Journal of Science Communication

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The degree of uncertainty presented by scientists impacts how non-scientists react to findings (Corner et al, 2012; Hunt et al, 2018; Jensen et al, 2017; Steijaert et al, 2020). Previous studies have examined how communication of scientific uncertainty in different ways affects attitudes , interest , trust , and behavioral decision-making on the part of the audience.…”

Section: Communication Of Scientific Uncertaintymentioning

confidence: 99%

To Vaccinate or Not? The Role Played by Uncertainty Communication on Public Understanding and Behavior Regarding COVID-19

Kelp

Witt

Sivakumar

2021

Science Communication

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Communication regarding COVID-19 vaccines requires evidence-based strategies. We present findings from a quantitative survey measuring participants’ understanding, trust, and decision-making in response to information conveying low or high uncertainty regarding the vaccine. Communication conveying high uncertainty led to lower self-assessed understanding but higher actual understanding of possible outcomes. Communication conveying low uncertainty increased vaccine acceptance by those who previously opposed vaccines. This indicates that communicating uncertainty may have different effects over time and that adjusting messaging depending on audiences’ prior vaccine attitudes might be important. These findings support the need for further investigation of how uncertainty communication influences vaccine acceptance.

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Exploring the Role of Trust and Credibility in Science Communication: Insights from the Sixth Summer Symposium on Science Communication

Cited by 2 publications

References 5 publications

Who are “we”? Examining relational ethos in British Columbia, Canada's COVID-19 public health communication

Who are “we”? Examining relational ethos in British Columbia, Canada's COVID-19 public health communication

To Vaccinate or Not? The Role Played by Uncertainty Communication on Public Understanding and Behavior Regarding COVID-19

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