In the U.S., there is often the false assumption that Europeans are somehow more engaged and supportive of science than Americans. Yet, as I discuss in several studies and as I have written about in articles, instead of science literacy, the same generalizable interaction between values, social identity, and media portrayals drive European perceptions of science debates. Indeed, cross-national survey studies show that while science remains the most widely admired and respected institution in American society, Europeans are far more ambivalent about the costs, risks, and benefits of science than their American counterparts.
In June, I will be traveling to Copenhagen, Denmark to speak at the annual conference of the Danish Association of Science Journalists. The focus of this year's conference is "framing research." Specifically, how to use an understanding of framing and other aspects of science communication research to more effectively engage Danish publics.
In the YouTube video above hosted at the preliminary conference Web site, journalists ask Danish twenty-somethings to recall the most recent news report they read, heard, or watched about science. The results are not surprising and are consistent with what I have written about regarding the miserly nature of audiences in a media world full of competing content choices.
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But it's important to keep in mind, that it's difficult for "streeters" to answer open-ended questions that require specific memory. I understand the want/need to leave questions open-ended like that...however, if the video editors had interspersed questions like "What was the last science research you remember reading?" with "What recent general news story do you remember reading/watching?" we'd have a much more thorough idea of what content is actually making it through to long term memory storage.
(or more pointed questions, requiring an opinion that is then backed by content they read/watched somewhere, may have gotten a more accurate picture, like "What do you think are the causes of climate change?" vs "What movies were nominated for Oscars this year?")
From someone who does a lot of man-on-the-street, it's important to make sure the answers are not giving the wrong impression of actual knowledge. But you already know this well, from research surveys.
thanks.
Posted by: Christie Nicholson | March 6, 2009 12:24 PM