New #preprint! We surveyed 71,922 people in 68 countries to find out: Where do they come across information about #science? How do they #communicate about it? We also tested country factors like #AcademicFreedom and #PressFreedom and identified interesting patterns 🔎 ➡️ osf.io/preprints/os... 🧵 1/10 - ThreadSky

nielsmede.bsky.social • 101 days ago

New #preprint! We surveyed 71,922 people in 68 countries to find out: Where do they come across information about #science? How do they #communicate about it? We also tested country factors like #AcademicFreedom and #PressFreedom and identified interesting patterns 🔎
➡️ https://osf.io/preprints/osf/xb3ha
🧵 1/10

Comments

mi-robin.bsky.social•42 days ago

Thanks for bringing this.

madmixx.bsky.social•100 days ago

This is disturbing. It means only one thing, social media is not going anywhere, therefore, science and scientists need to proliferate social media. Hire social media specialists, posters and engage influencers. Don't continue to exclusively use analog, when digital is dominant.

alexandredizeux.bsky.social•91 days ago

France 🇫🇷 😟

lauramkoenig.bsky.social•101 days ago

The day I first say you posting about this preprint, I was looking for a reference to support social media being very important for science news. First (or additional) citation for this preprint incoming shortly (as soon as the manuscript is accepted 🤞) 😉

nielsmede.bsky.social•101 days ago

Happy to hear that, Laura! Thank you! 🙏

vally.bsky.social•100 days ago

Hey Niels. I’m not sure I understand what that means for France, at the bottom of your chart.

nielsmede.bsky.social•100 days ago

Hey Valley - according to our data, people in France say they only come across information about science a few times a year via the news media, for example. This is clearly less often than in many other countries..

honestcanadian.bsky.social•100 days ago

I thought I was reading it wrong. lol
I am from Canada but I can easily believe the results.

vally.bsky.social•100 days ago

Thanks Niels. I’m very surprised (I’m French) but I trust your stats

fx59650.bsky.social•100 days ago

So am I, we must have not been taken in consideration in the stats ;-)

christophmontag.bsky.social•100 days ago

Thanks for this very interesting study. I have one question regarding interpretion:

Figure 1 has, in my opinion, a very irritating asymmetry regarding exposure. Especially those countries with free access to education, a lot of science-related infrastructure and pluralistic media are those ...

christophmontag.bsky.social•100 days ago

...with the overall lowest exposure values. Why is that? I find this quite concerning actually. And am not sure what to make of this.

Is this because countries with several restrictions and lack of infrastructure are more focussed on getting necessary (science-related) informations because of that?

christophmontag.bsky.social•100 days ago

Wouldn't that mean that, the higher the education, the better the infrastructure and the more freedom people enjoy, the less they are interested in science-related informations?

nielsmede.bsky.social•99 days ago

Thanks for engaging, @christophmontag.bsky.social! I agree, this is a curious pattern – even if low exposure ≠ low interest (see your last comment). After all, we’re yet not entirely sure how to make sense of it: It might be that for people in countries at the bottom, there is... (1/3)

nielsmede.bsky.social•99 days ago

just more information about various issues other than science available across all channels (higher information abundance due to more developed/dense information environments). So science-related content has more “competitors” there. (2/3)

nielsmede.bsky.social•99 days ago

Might also be some sort of a measurement artifact, such as that people in countries at the top have a wider understanding of what makes something scientific or have higher acquiescence tendencies. We’ll definitely need to dig deeper into this! (3/3)

sumpan.bsky.social•90 days ago

📌

nielsmede.bsky.social•101 days ago

Key findings:
📱 #Social #media are the most important source for science information in most countries. Except in countries with pluralistic, state-subsidized, and public service-oriented media, where people report using traditional #news media more often. 2/10

nielsmede.bsky.social•101 days ago

💰 National GDP and #Internet adoption rates predict exposure to science-related information on social media and in traditional news media. 3/10

nielsmede.bsky.social•101 days ago

🗽 Limited #freedom of #journalists and #academics does not fully prevent publics to engage with science through news media and in museums, zoos, and public talks. 4/10

nielsmede.bsky.social•101 days ago

🗣️ Citizens in collectivist societies tend to be less outspoken about #science in daily life, i.e. they are more hesitant to share their opinion on science-related matters with others (Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan). 5/10

nielsmede.bsky.social•101 days ago

📣 Publics with lower literacy show higher levels of outspokenness and higher willingness to discuss #science with others, which corresponds with research on the #DunningKruger effect. 6/10

nielsmede.bsky.social•101 days ago

✊ People seem discouraged to participate in public #protests on science-related matters (@fridaysforfuture.bsky.social, #COVID19 protests, #MarchForScience) in Russia, China, Kazakhstan, and Nicaragua, where civic engagement is subject to state oppression and regulations. 7/10

mafielding.bsky.social•100 days ago

I was just searching for this graphic on LinkedIn. Perplexing dynamic where social media is both the most important channel for scientific information but also probably the least trusted of all forms of media. Definitely a discussion to be had in my team at SEI.
Thanks for sharing here

mssummerblossom.bsky.social•100 days ago

When it says "formal science communication", does it mean peer-reviewed research or digests in science magazines like New Scientist and such?

nielsmede.bsky.social•100 days ago

Relevant question! "Formal science communication" is our paraphrasing of 'visiting museums, zoos, or public talks'

timothymacneill.bsky.social•100 days ago

Thanks for this. It's very concerning. I know we are trying, but we really need a searchable and accessible mechanism for finding one-pagers and pictograms on research. Or simple aggregators of "state of science". AI is currently NOT good at this and I don't know if it ever will be unfortunately.

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