In 2014, the Annenberg Public Policy Center opened an area of study in the Science of Science Communication, to investigate how scientific evidence can be more effectively conveyed to the public. This research looks at the failure to dispel public controversy over such issues as climate change, vaccinations, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) despite the presence of valid, compelling and widely accessible scientific evidence. “There’s a persistent gap between expert knowledge of scientific issues and public perception on myriad issues,” APPC director Kathleen Hall Jamieson said. “Through empirical testing, we will examine ways to close this gap and separate the issues in communicating science from the evidence that is being presented.” This research builds on past APPC projects such as the dissemination of media guidelines for suicide coverage, and the Annenberg Health Communication wiki, a site to help professional health communicators make better use of state-of-the-art social science. Current projects include the Annenberg Science Knowledge survey on issues of importance such as the Covid-19 pandemic and misinformation about vaccination, the Zika virus, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and the Science Media Monitor, which analyzes news coverage of science to increase public understanding of the scientific process.
More People Need to Know How to Prevent SIDS, Survey Shows
New APPC survey reveals that many Americans are unaware of two factors that can reduce a baby's risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS): putting the baby to sleep on their back and reducing their exposure to second hand smoke.
