Schmieszek, Alexandra (2022) Does your socioeconomic status influence your trust in science? Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, effective science communication has become very important for both scientists and governments, especially with misinformation spreading around. This study investigated the influence of uncertainty communication and communication source on people’s trust in information about booster shots. I further wanted to find out whether socioeconomic status (SES) determines which source you trust more. To test these hypotheses, we ran an online experimental survey study (N =311). Participants read one of six different texts which were manipulated to either stem from the government, scientists in a scientific journal, or scientists on social media and either included uncertainty or did not. The results showed that whereas people did perceive uncertainty when it was communicated, neither uncertainty communication nor the communication source influenced people’s trust in the message. SES did not seem to influence people’s trust in the source. These findings indicate that scientist could be more open when communicating results without influencing trust. Keywords: SES, science communication, trust, socioeconomic status, subjective socioeconomic status, uncertainty communication
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Bles, A.M. van der |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | Other [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 17 Jan 2022 07:41 |
| Last Modified: | 17 Jan 2022 07:41 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/43 |
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