Source: UNIV OF WISCONSIN submitted to NRP
PUBLIC COMMUNICATION ABOUT EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Sponsoring Institution
State Agricultural Experiment Station
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
STATE
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0217450
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Dec 1, 2008
Project End Date
Nov 30, 2013
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
UNIV OF WISCONSIN
21 N PARK ST STE 6401
MADISON,WI 53715-1218
Performing Department
Life Sciences Communication
Non Technical Summary
Issues like nanotechnology, stem cell research, and agricultural biotechnology have blurred the boundaries between science and politics. While audiences do care about the scientific facts surrounding these issues, many citizens are more concerned about the ethical, social, and legal issues that arise with the applications that these technologies make possible. This research program provides insights into (a) how different publics form attitudes and -- in some cases -- learn about these issues, and (b) how we can use these findings to develop better ways of communicating with increasingly inattentive and diverse audiences.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
40%
Applied
40%
Developmental
20%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90373103030100%
Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
7310 - Experimental design and statistical methods;

Field Of Science
3030 - Information and communication;
Goals / Objectives
This research examines public attitudes and media dynamics surrounding emerging technologies. It is designed to provide practical insights into how to communicate with various publics about issues related to science and technology. Toward this end, it combines longitudinal analyses of media content, public opinion data, and experimental studies.
Project Methods
The research program relies on mostly quantitative data. This includes large-scale pipulation surveys, longitudinal analyses of quantitative content analysis, and randomized experimental designs.

Progress 12/01/08 to 11/30/13

Outputs
OUTPUTS: In 2010, my work was supported by various grants from NSF, USDA, and other funders. All of these grants have provided long-term funding for graduate students in LSC. I also serve as Co-PI on ASU's Center for Nanotechnology in Society, which underwent a successful review by NSF for renewal (2010-2015) with a total budget of $6.57 million. All of these grants pay for national survey data sets, content analyses, and web experiments that many students in LSC are using for conference papers and publications, and that also serve as the basis of a number of M.S. and Ph.D. theses in our department. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
As part of these grants, we have developed data bases of media content that allow us to track media coverage of emerging technologies both retroactively and on an ongoing basis as new events occur. We have also equipped two labs on campus with state-of-the-art experimental software. Our survey instruments and data sets have been replicated by researchers all over the world.

Publications

  • Kim, S.-H., Scheufele, D. A., Shanahan, J., & Choi, D.-H. 2011. (forthcoming). Deliberation in spite of controversy News media and the public's evaluation of a controversial issue in South Korea. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly.
  • Cacciatore, M. A., Scheufele, D. A., Corley, E. A. 2011. (forthcoming). From enabling technology to applications: The evolution of risk perceptions about nanotechnology. Public Understanding of Science. doi: 10.1177/0963662509347815.
  • Dudo, A., Choi, D.-H., & Scheufele, D. A. (2011). Food nanotechnology in the news. Coverage patterns and thematic emphases during the last decade. Appetite, 56(1), 78-89. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2010.11.143.
  • Ho, S. S., Scheufele, D. A., & Corley, E. A. (2010). Making sense of policy choices: Understanding the roles of value predispositions, mass media, and cognitive processing in public attitudes toward nanotechnology. Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 12(8), 2703-2715. doi: 10.1007/s11051-010-0038-8.
  • Kim, S., Han, M., & Scheufele, D. A. 2011. (forthcoming). Think about him this way: Priming, news media, and South Koreans' evaluation of the president. International Journal of Public Opinion Research.
  • Becker, A. B., & Scheufele, D. A. 2011. (forthcoming). New voters, new outlook Predispositions, social networks, and the changing politics of gay civil rights. Social Science Quarterly.
  • Becker, A. B., Dalrymple, K. E., Brossard, D., Scheufele, D. A., & Gunther, A. C. (2010). Getting citizens involved: How controversial policy debates stimulate issue participation during a political campaign. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 22(2), 181-203. doi: 10.1093/ijpor/edp047.
  • Dahlstrom, M. F., & Scheufele, D. A. (2010). Diversity of television exposure and its association with the cultivation of concern for environmental risks. Environmental Communication, 4(1), 54 - 65. doi: 10.1080/17524030903509709.
  • Anderson, A. A., Brossard, D., & Scheufele, D. A. (2010). The changing information environment for nanotechnology: Online audiences and content. Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 12(4), 1083-1094. doi: 10.1007/s11051-010-9860-2.
  • Scheufele, B. T., & Scheufele, D. A. 2011.(forthcoming). Framing and priming effects: Exploring challenges connected to cross-level approaches in media effects research. In Erica Scharrer (Ed.), Media Effects/Media Psychology. Volume 8 of the International Companions to Media Studies. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
  • Scheufele, D. A. 2011.(forthcoming). Public attitudes on nanotechnology. In Susanna Hornig Priest (Ed.), Nanotechnology: Public perception and risk communication. New York: Taylor and Francis.
  • Scheufele, D. A. (2010). Survey research. In S. H. Priest (Ed.), Encyclopedia of science and technology communication (Vol. 2, pp. 853-856). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Dalrymple, K. E., & Scheufele, D. A. (2010). Public understanding of nanotechnology. In D. Guston (Ed.), Encyclopedia of nanoscience and society (Vol. 2, pp. 641-642). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Scheufele, D. A., & Dalrymple, K. E. (2010). Public attitudes toward nanotechnology. In D. Guston (Ed.), Encyclopedia of nanoscience and society (Vol. 2, pp. 633-635). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Scheufele, D. A., & Dudo, A. (2010). Emerging agendas at the intersection of political and science communication: The case of nanotechnology. In C. Salmon (Ed.), Communication Yearbook (pp. 143-167). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
  • Scheufele, B. T., & Scheufele, D. A. (2010). Of spreading activation, applicability, and schemas: Conceptual distinctions and their operational implications for measuring frames and framing effects. In P. D'Angelo & J. A. Kuypers (Eds.), Doing news framing analysis: Empirical and theoretical perspectives (pp. 110-134). New York: Routledge.
  • Scheufele, D. A. (2011, January 20). Our nation's fear of political complexity, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  • Scheufele, D. A. (2011). Hauptunterschied ist das privatwirtschaftliche Denken: Vergleich deutscher und amerikanischer Hochschulkultur. In GATE-Germany (Ed.), Laenderprofile: Edition USA (p. 15). Bonn: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst.
  • Ladwig, P., Anderson, A. A., Brossard, D., Scheufele, D. A., & Shaw, B. (2010). Narrowing the nano discourse Materials Today, 13(5), 52-54. doi: 10.1016/s1369-7021(10)70084-5.
  • Corley, E. A., & Scheufele, D. A. (2010). Outreach gone wrong When we talk nano to the public, we are leaving behind key audiences. The Scientist, 24(1), p. 22.
  • Namkoong, K., Fung, T. K. F., & Scheufele, D. A.2011. (forthcoming). The politics of emotion: News media attention, emotional responses, and participation during the 2004 U.S. presidential election. Mass Communication & Society.
  • Binder, A. R., Cacciatore, M. A., Scheufele, D. A., Shaw, B. R., & Corley, E. A. 2011. (forthcoming). Measuring risks/benefits perceptions of emerging technologies and their potential impact on communication of public opinion toward science. Public Understanding of Science.
  • Dudo, A. D., Dunwoody, S., & Scheufele, D. A. 2011.(forthcoming). The emergence of nano news: Tracking thematic trends and changes in U.S. newspaper coverage of nanotechnology. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly.
  • Dudo, A. D., Brossard, D., Shanahan, J. E., Scheufele, D. A., Morgan, M., & Signorelli, N. 2011. (forthcoming). Science on television in the 21st century: Recent trends in portrayals and their contributions to public attitudes toward science. Communication Research.
  • Ho, S. S., Binder, A. R., Becker, A. B., Moy, P. Scheufele, D. A., Brossard, D., & Gunther, A. C. 2011. (forthcoming). The role of perceptions of media bias in general and issue-specific political participation. Mass Communication & Society.
  • Kim, E., Scheufele, D. A., & Han, J. Y. 2011.(forthcoming). Structure or predisposition Exploring the interaction effect of discussion orientation and discussion heterogeneity on political participation. Mass Communication & Society.
  • Binder, A. R., Scheufele, D. A., Brossard, D., & Gunther, A. C. 2011. (forthcoming). Interpersonal amplification of risk Citizen discussions and their impact on perceptions of risks and benefits of a biological research facility. Risk Analysis. doi: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2010.01516.x
  • Ho, S. S., Scheufele, D. A., & Corley, E. A. 2011. (forthcoming). Value predispositions, mass media, and attitudes toward nanotechnology: The interplay of public and experts. Science Communication. doi: 10.1177/1075547010380386.
  • Scheufele, D. A. (2010). The future of communication: Theory and methodology AEJMC DIG News, January, p. 2.
  • Xenos, M. A., Becker, A. B., Anderson, A. A., Brossard, D., Scheufele, D. A., (May, 2011). "Stimulating upstream engagement: An experimental study of nanotechnology information-seeking." Presented at the annual convention of the International Communication Association. Boston, MA.
  • Ladwig, P., Choi, D. H., Anderson, A. A., Cacciatore, M., Liang, X., Brossard, D., Scheufele, D. A. & Dudo, A. (2011, May). Coverage of emerging technologies: A comparison between print and online media. Presented at the annual convention of the International Communication Association, Boston, MA.
  • Liang, X., Ladwig, P., Brossard, D., & Scheufele, D. A. (2011, May). Issue framing online: a content analysis of Google's results page. Presented at the annual convention of the International Communication Association, Boston, MA.
  • Kim, J., Ladwig, P., Anderson, A. A., Brossard, D., Scheufele, D. A., & Xenos, M. (2011, May). The public acceptance of nanotechnology: How ideology and trust in safety systems moderate the effect of benefit perceptions on federal funding support. Presented at the annual conference of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Phoenix, AZ.
  • Cacciatore, M. A., Binder, A. R., Brigham Schmuhl, N., Scheufele, D. A., & Shaw, B. (2010, December). Off the top of your head: Exploring the influence of mental associations on risk and benefit perceptions of biofuels. Presented at the annual convention of the Society for Risk Analysis, Salt Lake City, UT.
  • Cacciatore, M. A., Binder, A. R., Brigham Schmuhl, N., Scheufele, D. A., & Shaw, B. (2010, December). Assessing public opinion of alternative energies: The role of cognitive associations in support for biofuels. Presented at the annual convention of the Society for Risk Analysis, Salt Lake City, UT.
  • Binder, A. R., Liang, X., Brossard, D., Scheufele, D. A., & Gunther, A. C. (2010, December). Reconsidering risk amplification: Content analysis of thematic emphasis in newspaper coverage of a proposed biological research facility. Presented at the annual convention of the Society for Risk Analysis, Salt Lake City, UT.
  • Hallman, W. K., Cuite, C. L. & Scheufele, D. A. (2010, December). Public perceptions of food-based nanotechnology. Presented at the annual convention of the Society for Risk Analysis, Salt Lake City, UT.
  • Becker, A. B.; Anderson, A. A.; Xenos, M. A.; Brossard, D.; Scheufele, D. A.; Kim, E. (2010, November). Cognitive complexity of scientific issues: How anticipated discussion impacts complexity of thought. Presented to the Second International Conference on Science in Society, Madrid, Spain.
  • Anderson, A. A.; Brossard, D.; Scheufele, D. A. (2010, October). Deliberation online: How conversations in blog comments engage the public in scientific issues. Presented to the 3rd ECREA European Communication Conference, Hamburg, Germany.
  • Binder, A. R, Cacciatore, M. A., Scheufele, D. A., Shaw, B. R, & Corley, E. A. (2010, August). Measuring perceptions of emerging technologies: Errors in survey self-reports and their potential impact on communication of public opinion toward science. Presented to the annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication, Denver, CO.
  • Ladwig, P., Dalrymple, K. E., Scheufele, D. A., Brossard, D., & Corley, E. A. (2010, August). Perceived or factual knowledge Comparing operationalization of science knowledge. Presented to the annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication Convention, Denver, CO.
  • Cacciatore, M. A., Scheufele, D. A., & Corley, E. A. (2010, August). A new (methodological) look at science knowledge gaps: Merging trend-data to examine widening nanotechnology knowledge gaps. Presented to the annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication, Denver, CO.
  • Cacciatore, M. A., Binder, A. R., Scheufele, D. A., & Shaw, B. (2010, August). Biofuels and public benefit and risk perceptions: The interacting effects of political ideology and media attention. Presented to the annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Denver, CO.
  • Anderson, A. A.; Brossard, D.; Scheufele, D. A. (2010, August). The shifting agenda: A scientific event and its print and online coverage. Presented to the annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Denver, CO.
  • Anderson, A. A.; Scheufele, D. A.; Brossard, D. (2010, May). Trust in scientists: The role of media in establishing trust in sources of information about nanotechnology. Presented to the annual meeting of the World Association for Public Opinion Research, Chicago, IL.
  • Shih, T., Scheufele, D. A., & Corley, E. A. (2010, June). Exploring item non-response in public opinion surveys about nanotechnology: Evidence from 21 countries. Presented to the annual convention of the International Communication Association, Singapore.
  • Shih, T., Scheufele, D. A., & Corley, E. A. (2010, June). A multilevel model of risk and benefit perception. Presented to the annual convention of the International Communication Association, Singapore.
  • Ho, S. S., Scheufele, D. A., & Corley, E. A. (2010, June). Integrating models of mass-interpersonal communication: Testing moderation and mediation effects of elaborative processing and interpersonal discussion on scientific knowledge and public attitudes toward nanotechnology. Presented to the annual convention of the International Communication Association, Singapore.
  • Shanahan, J. E., & Scheufele, D. A. (2010). Cultivation and the spiral of silence: Theoretical and empirical intersections and their Implications for public opinion research. Presented to the annual convention of the World Association for Public Opinion Research, Chicago, IL.
  • Anderson, A. A., Scheufele, D. A., & Brossard, D. (2010). Trust in scientists: The role of media in establishing trust in sources of information about nanotechnology. Presented to the annual convention of the World Association for Public Opinion Research, Chicago, IL.
  • Cacciatore, M. A., Scheufele, D. A., & Corley, E. A. (2010, May). The emergence of nanotechnology knowledge gaps: Differences in knowledge across education levels and media exposure. Presented to the annual convention of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Chicago, IL.
  • Binder, A. R., Cacciatore, M. A., Brigham Schmuhl, N., Shaw, B. R., & Scheufele, D. A. (2010, May). Effects of priming and extremity of response on individual support for alternative energy: Evidence from a survey-based experiment. Presented to the annual convention of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Chicago, IL.
  • Brigham Schmuhl, N., Cacciatore, M. A., Binder, A. R., Shaw, B. R., & Scheufele, D. A. (2010, May). Technological innovation in America's backyard: The intersection of media use, political partisanship, and public opinion of biofuels. Presented to the annual convention of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Chicago, IL.


Progress 01/01/09 to 12/31/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The research team has published extensively in the area of public attitudes and media coverage of nanotechnology. In particular, we partnered with colleagues at Arizona State and Rutgers to examine issues related to nano in food and agriculture. PARTICIPANTS: Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University Food Policy Institute, Rutgers University Project on Communication about Science and Technology, North Carolina State University TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
This work has led to numerous public talks and workshops for organizations, such as the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, the Wisconsin Technology Council, or the Exploratorium in San Francisco. I also co-chair the the National Conference of Lawyers and Scientists (NCLS), a joint committee of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Bar Association, and previously served on the Nanotechnology Technical Advisory Group to the U.S. President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).

Publications

  • Corley, E. A., Scheufele, D. A., & Hu, Q. (2009). Of risks and regulations: how leading US nanoscientists form policy stances about nanotechnology. Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 11(7), 1573-1585. (doi:10.1007/s11051-009-9671 5)
  • Nisbet, M. C., & Scheufele, D. A. (2009). What's next for science communication Promising directions and lingering distractions. American Journal of Botany, 96(10), 1767-1778. (doi:10.3732/ajb.0900041)
  • Brossard, D., & Scheufele, D. A., Kim, E., & Lewenstein, B. V. (2009). Religiosity as a perceptual filter: Examining processes of opinion formation about nanotechnology. Public Understanding of Science, 18(5), 546-558. (doi:10.1177/0963662507087304)
  • Scheufele, D. A., Corley, E. A., Shih, T., Dalrymple, K. E., & Ho, S. S. (2009). Religious beliefs and public attitudes to nanotechnology in Europe and the US. Nature Nanotechnology, 4(2), 91-94. (doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.361)