This document discusses communication, culture, and risk perceptions related to science and technology issues. It presents several models of science communication, including the deficit model, which assumes increased science knowledge will lead to greater acceptance of scientific views, and the public engagement model, which sees the public as interpretive communities that bring cultural and social perspectives. It also discusses how cultural cognition affects people's views on issues like climate change, with more scientific information sometimes increasing polarization. Overall, the document advocates moving beyond deficit models to recognize the cultural and social contexts that shape public risk perceptions.

1. Communication, Culture and Risk Perceptions
Matthew C. Nisbet
Associate Professor
School of Communication
American University
Washington D.C.
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2. Deficit Model Assumptions
 If the public knew more about the technical side of
science, then the public would view issues as scientists
do, and there would be fewer controversies.
 Need to return to a point in the past where science was
respected and citizens were informed.
 Emphasis is on improving science literacy through formal
education and science media.
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3. 1957: Is the Past That Different from Today?
Perception is Context Dependent
National Science Board (2008). Chapter 7: Public Attitudes about Science and Technology. Science & Engineering Indicators.
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4. 2. Networks and Trust Matter
Social relationships,
networks, and
identities
Trust, credibility,
alienation relative to
science-related
institutions
The uptake
and
influence of
“expert”
sciencerelated
knowledge
Practical reason,
localized knowledge
Bryan Wynne
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5. Common Criteria Used to Judge Expert Advice
1) Does expert knowledge work? Do predictions fail?
2) Do expert claims pay attention to other available
knowledge?
3) Are experts open to criticism? Admission of errors,
or oversights?
4) What are the social / institutional affiliations of
experts? Historical track record of
trustworthiness, affiliation with industry?
5) What issues overlap or connect to lay experience?
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6. Models of Science Communication
Brossard, D., & Lewenstein, B. V. (2009). A Critical Appraisal of Models of Public Understanding of Science: Using Practice to Inform
Theory. In L. Kahlor & P. Stout (Eds.), Communicating Science: New Agendas in Communication(pp. 11-39). New York: Routledge.
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7. Examples of Models of Science Communication
Brossard, D., & Lewenstein, B. V. (2009). A Critical Appraisal of Models of Public Understanding of Science: Using Practice to Inform
Theory. In L. Kahlor & P. Stout (Eds.), Communicating Science: New Agendas in Communication(pp. 11-39). New York: Routledge.
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8. The Deficit vs. Public Engagement Model
Groffman, P. Stylinski, C., Nisbet, M.C. et al. (2010). Restarting the Conversation: Challenges at the Interface of Science and Society.
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 8, 284-291.
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9. Models of Science Communication
Brossard, D., & Lewenstein, B. V. (2009). A Critical Appraisal of Models of Public Understanding of Science: Using Practice to Inform
Theory. In L. Kahlor & P. Stout (Eds.), Communicating Science: New Agendas in Communication(pp. 11-39). New York: Routledge.
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10. Viewing the Public In Binary Terms
See analysis at the Vote View blog by political scientists Keith Poole and Howard Rosenthal, updated from McCarthy, Nolan,
Keith T. Poole and Howard Rosenthal. Polarized America: The Dance of Ideology and Unequal Riches. Boston, MA: MIT
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11. Elite Cues, Heuristics and a Miserly Public
See analysis at the Vote View blog by political scientists Keith Poole and Howard Rosenthal, updated from McCarthy, Nolan,
Keith T. Poole and Howard Rosenthal. Polarized America: The Dance of Ideology and Unequal Riches. Boston, MA: MIT
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12. The Economy and Our Limited Pool of Worry
Nisbet, 2011; Scruggs & Benegal, 2012; Brulle et al, 2012
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13. Climate Change as Cultural Debate:
Group, Policy and Technological Context
Climate change
Gun control
Institutionalization of
the mentally ill
Legality of drugs
Abortion
HPV vaccine
Stem cell research
Nuclear energy
Natural gas fracking
Food biotechnology
Kahan, D. (forthcoming). Cultural Cognition as a Conception of the Cultural Theory of Risk, in Handbook of Risk Theory: Epistemology, Decision
Theory, Ethics and Social Implications of Risk 725-760 (eds. Hillerbrand, R., Sandin, P., Roeser, S. & Peterson, M.) (Springer London, Limited, 2012).
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14. Climate Change as Cultural Debate:
More Information Increases Polarization
Kahan, D. et al. (2012). The Polarizing Impact of Perceived Climate Change Literacy and Numeracy on Perceived Climate Change Risks. Nature
Climate Change.
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15. Climate Change as Cultural Debate:
Telling Stories about Wicked Problems
o The more complex a problem like
climate change, the more equally
plausible discourses and
narratives exist about what should
be done.
o Climate change serves as an
opportunity for different groups to
mobilize on behalf of their values,
goals and vision for society.
o By analyzing discourses “we can at
least recognize that the sources of
our enduring disagreements…lie
within us, in our values and in our
sense of identity and purpose.”
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16. Scientists & Environmentalists as Cultural Tribe
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17. Focus on Mitigation at Expense of Adaptation
Design to Win Foundations, 2007-2010 / $368M Distributed Across 1248 Grants
Nisbet, M.C. (2011). Climate Shift: Clear Vision for the Next Decade of Public Debate. Washington, DC: American
University, School of Communication.
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18. Engineers, economists, policy
wonks, big budget NGOS, activists
committed to “fight the good fight.”
Luers, A., Pope, C., Kroodsma, D. (2013). Stanford Social Innovation Review.
Geographers, sociologists, and
ecologists, hazard risk managers,
disaster responders, smaller budget
NGOs, who are committed to solving
problems and saving lives.
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19. Hurricanes and Climate Change
Advocacy, Uncertainty and Political Clarity
<strong>
Luers, A., Pope, C., Kroodsma, D. (2013). Stanford Social Innovation Review.
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20. The Public as Distinct Interpretative Communities
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21. The Public as Distinct Interpretative Communities
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22. 3. Judgments and Decisions Are Context Dependent
Kahneman, D. (2003) In T. Frängsmyr (Ed.), Les Prix Nobel: The Nobel
Prizes 2002 (pp. 449-489). Stockholm, Sweden: Nobel Foundation.

23. 3. Judgments and Decisions Are Context Dependent
Kahneman, D. (2003) In T. Frängsmyr (Ed.), Les Prix Nobel: The Nobel Prizes
2002 (pp. 449-489). Stockholm, Sweden: Nobel Foundation.

24. Morality Binds, Divides and Blinds Us to Threats
“A basic principle of moral psychology is that „morality
binds and blinds.‟ In many pre-agricultural societies,
groups achieved trust and unity by circling around
sacred objects. In modern societies, much larger groups
bind themselves together by treating certain books,
flags, leaders or ideals as sacred and by symbolically
circling around them. But if your team circles too fast,
you lose the ability to see clearly or think for yourself.
You go blind to evidence that contradicts your group‟s
moral consensus, and you become enraged at
teammates who suggest that the other side is not
entirely bad.” – New York Times, Nov. 7, 2012
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25. Energy Resilience in an Era of Abrupt Climate Change?
Nisbet, Maibach, & Leiserowitz (2011). American Journal of Public Health.
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26. Stage 1: In-Depth Interviews w/ 70 Subjects from
Six Distinct Audience Segments (Summer 2009)
Maibach, E., Nisbet, M.C. et al. (2010). BMC Public Health 10: 299.

27. Segments 4-6:
Sentence Specific Reaction To Public Health Essay
10
DISENGAGED
DOUBTFUL
DISMISSIVE
POPULATION
8
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
-8
-10
O1
O2
O3
O4
O5
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
T7
B1
B2
B3
Scores reflect respondent average values by segment for the difference between the number of times
each of 18 sentences were marked “especially clear or helpful” and “especially confusing or
unhelpful.”
B4
C1
C2

28. Stage 2: Testing Environmental, National Security Frames
vs.
Public Health Frame
Myers, T., Nisbet, M.C., Maibach, E.W., & Leiserowitz, A. (2012). A Public Health Frame
Arouses Hopeful Emotions about Climate Change. Climatic Change Research
Letters, 1105-1121.

29. Voices from Coastal Communities
Fatalism and Low Efficacy
Moser, S. C. (in press). In: Successful Adaptation to Climate Change: Linking Science and Practice in a Rapidly Changing
World, ed. S.C. Moser and M.T. Boykoff, Routledge, London.
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30. Community Dialogue After Hurricane Isabel
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
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31. Community Dialogue and Polarization
GMU, USNA, Dewberry
Timeline of Actions
 2003 Hurricane Isabel floods Annapolis, coastal communities
 2007 Gov. O‟Malley creates MD Commission on Climate Change
 Science Working Group uses 2007 IPCC models to estimate sea-level rise
projections for state from 2.7 ft to 3.4 ft by 2100.
 Recommend planners anticipate 1ft rise by 2050 and 2ft rise by 2100.
 Anne Arundel County and Annapolis begin their own evaluation process.
Project Focus
• County mail survey, N = 300
• Deliberative forums, 2 moderators at each table, N = 40
• Risk projection web site
CASI Final Project Report (2013).
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32. Cultural Identity Explains Substantial Proportion
of Risk Perceptions and Policy Preferences
“Local policy discourses on
sea-level rise are not emerging
into a neutral arena, but one in
which cultural meanings have
already begun to form. In this
environment, traditional
communication strategies of
providing „objective‟
assessments are unlikely to
staunch further issue
polarization, as has been case
in Virginia and North Carolina.”
CASI Final Project Report (2013).
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33. Brokering Shared Identity and Outlook
Localized Dialogue Softens Cultural Cognition
CASI Final Project Report (2013).
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34. http://www.futurecoast.info/

35. Experts and Coastal Property Owners
From Trusted Sources of Information to Brokers of Dialogue
Cone, J et al 2013. Reframing Engagement Methods for Climate Change Adaptation. Coastal Management, 41: 345-360.
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36. Experts and Coastal Property Owners
From Trusted Sources of Information to Brokers of Dialogue
Cone, J et al 2013. Reframing Engagement Methods for Climate Change Adaptation. Coastal Management, 41: 345-360.
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37. Research Informs Design of Communication
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38. Creating Shared Understanding & Consolidating Views
Recommendations
Recommendations
 Feature adaptive strategies – effective and failed – in engagement efforts.
 Property owners prefer to hear about experiences of neighbors more so than advice
from scientific experts.
 Host local meetings with property owners, experts, and officials to discuss
changes, impacts, and risks that they are experiencing.
 Participants believed that simply coming together was productive in its own right.
 Identify and highlight “early adopters,” local property owners who have already started
to engage in adaptive behaviors.
“What is required is creating conditions for helping communities make
meaning out of the science and its findings for themselves and their local
conditions in ways that support their including that science into their regular
decision-making…Good models that put scientists, communicators, and
publics into dialogue about what they know, what it means, and how to put it
to work suggest using group processes and visible thinking routines for
creating and sustaining dialogues about climate change.”
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