IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0224039.html

Strategic science communication as planned behavior: Understanding scientists’ willingness to choose specific tactics

Author

Listed:
  • John C Besley
  • Kathryn O’Hara
  • Anthony Dudo

Abstract

Strategic science communicators need to select tactics that can help them achieve both their short-term communication objectives and long-term behavioral goals. However, little previous research has sought to develop theory aimed at understanding what makes it more likely that a communicator will prioritize specific communication tactics. The current study aims to advance the development of a theory of strategic science communication as planned behavior based on the Integrated Behavioral Model. It does so in the context of exploring Canadian scientists’ self-reported willingness to prioritize six different tactics as a function of attitudinal, normative, and efficacy beliefs. The results suggest that scientists’ beliefs about ethicality, norms, response efficacy, and self-efficacy, are all meaningful predictors of willingness to prioritize specific tactics. Differences between scientists in terms of demographics and related variables provide only limited benefit in predicting such willingness.

Suggested Citation

  • John C Besley & Kathryn O’Hara & Anthony Dudo, 2019. "Strategic science communication as planned behavior: Understanding scientists’ willingness to choose specific tactics," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(10), pages 1-18, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0224039
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224039
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0224039
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0224039&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0224039?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kurt Neuwirth & Sharon Dunwoody & Robert J. Griffin, 2000. "Protection Motivation and Risk Communication," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(5), pages 721-734, October.
    2. Shupei Yuan & John C. Besley & Chen Lou, 2018. "Does being a jerk work? Examining the effect of aggressive risk communication in the context of science blogs," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(4), pages 502-520, April.
    3. Rajagopal, 2015. "Reasoned Action and Planned Behavior," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: The Butterfly Effect in Competitive Markets, chapter 2, pages 30-65, Palgrave Macmillan.
    4. Anthony Dudo & John C Besley, 2016. "Scientists’ Prioritization of Communication Objectives for Public Engagement," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(2), pages 1-18, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dominic Balog‐Way & Katherine McComas & John Besley, 2020. "The Evolving Field of Risk Communication," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 40(S1), pages 2240-2262, November.
    2. Mohamad Rohieszan Ramdan & Zuraidah Zainol & Rusliza Yahaya & Nurul Fadly Habidin & Juliana Osman, 2018. "The Effect of Nutrition Label Literacy and Attitude towards Nutrition Label on Healthy Food Choice among Consumer in Malaysia," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 8(2), pages 671-686, February.
    3. Brown, Louis D. & Adeboye, Adeniyi A. & Yusuf, Rafeek A. & Chaudhary, Pooja, 2018. "Engaging vulnerable populations in parent-led support groups: Testing a recruitment strategy," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 18-24.
    4. Darabi F & Yaseri M & Farahani FK & Kaveh MH & Shojaeizadeh D & Majlessi F, 2018. "Psychometric Characteristics of the Theory of Planned Behavior-based Puberty Health Behavior Scale (PHSFA) in Iranian Adolescents," Global Journal of Reproductive Medicine, Juniper Publishers Inc., vol. 3(3), pages 44-51, February.
    5. Capecchi, Stefania & Amato, Mario & Sodano, Valeria & Verneau, Fabio, 2019. "Understanding beliefs and concerns towards palm oil: Empirical evidence and policy implications," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    6. Ana La Rosa & Jennifer Johnson Jorgensen, 2021. "Influences on Consumer Engagement with Sustainability and the Purchase Intention of Apparel Products," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-15, September.
    7. Shafizan Mohamed & Saodah Wok, 2020. "Factors Influencing the Behavioral Intention to Listen to IIUM.FM among Non-Listeners," Asian Journal of Contemporary Education, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 4(1), pages 26-40, June.
    8. D. G. Webster & Semra A. Aytur & Mark Axelrod & Robyn S. Wilson & Joseph A. Hamm & Linda Sayed & Amber L. Pearson & Pedro Henrique C. Torres & Alero Akporiaye & Oran Young, 2022. "Learning from the Past: Pandemics and the Governance Treadmill," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-26, March.
    9. Carolyn A. Lin, 2023. "Flood Risk Management via Risk Communication, Cognitive Appraisal, Collective Efficacy, and Community Action," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-18, September.
    10. Michael F. Dahlstrom & Anthony Dudo & Dominique Brossard, 2012. "Precision of Information, Sensational Information, and Self‐Efficacy Information as Message‐Level Variables Affecting Risk Perceptions," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(1), pages 155-166, January.
    11. Gilenko, Evgenii & Chernova, Aleksandra, 2021. "Saving behavior and financial literacy of Russian high school students: An application of a copula-based bivariate probit-regression approach," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    12. Shockey, James W, 2021. "Social Aspects of COVID Mitigation," SocArXiv sgjvp, Center for Open Science.
    13. Jing Liu & Khairul Manami Kamarudin & Yuqi Liu & Jinzhi Zou & Jiaqi Zhang, 2022. "Developing a Behavior Change Framework for Pandemic Prevention and Control in Public Spaces in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-24, February.
    14. Yaprak, Ümit & Kılıç, Fatih & Okumuş, Abdullah, 2021. "Is the Covid-19 pandemic strong enough to change the online order delivery methods? Changes in the relationship between attitude and behavior towards order delivery by drone," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    15. Hazel Princess M. Rebollo, 2018. "A structural model of millennial tourist behavior towards tourism in Davao Region," Journal of Advances in Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr. Yi-Hsing Hsieh, vol. 4(1), pages 26-36.
    16. Mikhaila N Calice & Becca Beets & Luye Bao & Dietram A Scheufele & Isabelle Freiling & Dominique Brossard & Noah Weeth Feinstein & Laura Heisler & Travis Tangen & Jo Handelsman, 2022. "Public engagement: Faculty lived experiences and perspectives underscore barriers and a changing culture in academia," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(6), pages 1-21, June.
    17. Michael K. Lindell & Seong Nam Hwang, 2008. "Households' Perceived Personal Risk and Responses in a Multihazard Environment," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(2), pages 539-556, April.
    18. Hao Xu & Smitha Muthya Sudheendra & Jisu Huh & Aadesh Salecha & Jaideep Srivastava, 2024. "Influence of emotions on coping behaviors in crisis: a computational analysis of the COVID-19 outbreak," Journal of Computational Social Science, Springer, vol. 7(2), pages 1599-1623, October.
    19. Anna Scolobig & B. Marchi & M. Borga, 2012. "The missing link between flood risk awareness and preparedness: findings from case studies in an Alpine Region," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 63(2), pages 499-520, September.
    20. René van Bavel & Nuria Rodríguez-Priego, 2016. "Nudging Online Security Behaviour with Warning Messages: Results from an Online Experiment," JRC Research Reports JRC103223, Joint Research Centre.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0224039. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.