Abstract
Science communication only reaches certain segments of society. Various underserved audiences are detached from it and feel left out, which is a challenge for democratic societies that build on informed participation in deliberative processes. While only recently researchers and practitioners have addressed the question on the detailed composition of the not reached groups, even less is known about the emotional impact on underserved audiences: feelings and emotions can play an important role in how science communication is received, and “feeling left out” can be an important aspect of exclusion. In this exploratory study, we provide insights from interviews and focus groups with three different underserved audiences in Germany. We found that on the one hand, material exclusion factors such as available infrastructure or financial means as well as specifically attributable factors such as language skills, are influencing the audience composition of science communication. On the other hand, emotional exclusion factors such as fear, habitual distance, and self- as well as outside-perception also play an important role. Therefore, simply addressing material aspects can only be part of establishing more inclusive science communication practices. Rather, being aware of emotions and feelings can serve as a point of leverage for science communication in reaching out to underserved audiences.
Highlights
Science communication is more than just imparting scientific knowledge
Emotions play an important role in how messages are received and understood, if the messages get through at all, or if they even cause alienation: “Skepticism of scientific advice was strongly filtered by feelings of distrust and alienation, feelings that were forged by local history, communication mistakes by scientists” (Nisbet & Scheufele, 2009, p. 1769)
The data is based on three demographic groups and a limited number of interviews and focus groups
Summary
Science communication is more than just imparting scientific knowledge. Emotions play an important role in how messages are received and understood, if the messages get through at all, or if they even cause alienation: “Skepticism of scientific advice was strongly filtered by feelings of distrust and alienation, feelings that were forged by local history, communication mistakes by scientists” (Nisbet & Scheufele, 2009, p. 1769). The change from a ‘deficit model’ understanding of science communication to a dialogue approach—which includes considering context, values, interests, and emotions as part of the communication—is a key aspect for the modern understanding of science communication. 3): The question of which audiences are not reached by science communication, why they are not reached, and what role emotional barriers play therein. Answering these questions is highly relevant, considering that being included in science communication is an important prerequisite for participation in modern society, e.g., as a support for evidence-based individual decisions Answering these questions is highly relevant, considering that being included in science communication is an important prerequisite for participation in modern society, e.g., as a support for evidence-based individual decisions (The Royal Society, 1985, p. 10), for personal career development (Blanton & Ikizer, 2019, p. 155), or the informed participation in democratic processes and public debates (Thomas & Durant, 1987, p. 5)
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