Urban Resilience and Innovation in a Polarized Society:

Research to Inform Communication and Advocacy

@MCNisbet

Northeastern University

January 15, 2014

Matthew C. NisbetAssociate ProfessorSchool of CommunicationAmerican University Washington D.C.

Boston Society of Architects (2013) ; Mass Gov (2011). City of Boston.gov Climate Action Web Site

Climate Ready Boston (2013)

Climate Change as Public Health Threat

Extreme Heat and Infectious Disease

@MCNisbetClimate Ready Boston (2013); Centers for Disease Control (2013).

Public Engagement and Communication?

@MCNisbetCity of Boston Climate Action Plan (2011); Boston Harbor Association (2013); Marty Walsh for Mayor (2012)

Holding community meetings in each neighborhood, particularly those closest to

the waterfront, will enable us to hear each other‟s concerns and brainstorm best

approaches to specific local problems where a one-size-fits-all measure might not

be the best solution. Finally, I will seek to expand and foster current city

relationships with leading climate researchers at our exceptional colleges and

universities….

Framing Science?

Context and Identity Shape Perceptions of Complex Debates

@MCNisbetNisbet & Lewenstein 2002; Nisbet, Brossard & Kroepsch 2003; Nisbet & Huge 2006; Nisbet & Mooney 2007;

Nisbet & Scheufele 2009; Nisbet 2009; Nisbet & Kotcher 2009 & more….

Framing Science?

Context and Identity Shape Perceptions of Complex Debates

@MCNisbetNisbet & Lewenstein 2002; Nisbet, Brossard & Kroepsch 2003; Nisbet & Huge 2006; Nisbet & Mooney 2007;

Nisbet & Scheufele 2009; Nisbet 2009; Nisbet & Kotcher 2009 & more….

Audience Segmentation and Public Perceptions

@MCNisbet

In Depth Interviews w/ 70 subjects by Segment

@MCNisbetMaibach, E., Nisbet, M.C. et al. (2010). BMC Public Health 10: 299.

Segment 4-6:

Sentence Specific Reaction to Essay

@MCNisbet

-10

-8

-6

-4

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

O1 O2 O3 O4 O5 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 B1 B2 B3 B4 C1 C2

DISENGAGED DOUBTFUL

DISMISSIVE POPULATION

Maibach, E., Nisbet, M.C. et al. (2010). BMC Public Health 10: 299.

Provoking Anger Across Audience Segments:

Identifying Boomerang Effects

@MCNisbetMyers, T., Nisbet, M.C., Maibach, E.W., & Leiserowitz, A. (2012). Climatic Change.

Engaging A Broader Public Via Energy Resilience?

@MCNisbetMASSPIRG 2013. Moving Off the Road.

Engaging A Broader Public Via Energy Resilience

@MCNisbetMASSPIRG (2013). Moving Off the Road; MA Gov (2010) Clean Energy & Climate Plan 2020

Energy Resilience and Climate Disruption

Warmer, Wetter Future with More Extremes

@MCNisbet

Will Oil Prices Triple in Next Five Years?

@MCNisbetNisbet, Maibach, & Leiserowitz (2011). American Journal of Public Health.

Oil Price Spikes and Risk to Economy?

@MCNisbetNisbet, Maibach, & Leiserowitz (2011). American Journal of Public Health.

Oil Price Spikes and Risk to Public Health?

@MCNisbetNisbet, Maibach, & Leiserowitz (2011). American Journal of Public Health.

Preparing and Planning Ahead for Climate Change

Building a Civic Science Infrastructure and Network

@MCNisbetNisbet, M.C., Hixon, M., Moore, K.D., & Nelson, M. (2010). The Four Cultures: New Synergies for Engaging Society on

Climate Change. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 8, 329-331.

The Case of Embryonic Stem Cell Research:

Science as Political Wedge Strategy

@MCNisbetNisbet & Becker (in press). Public Opinion Quarterly; Nisbet & Markowitz (in press). PLoS One

Looking Beyond Partisanship:

Mental Models About Science and Society

@MCNisbetNisbet & Becker (in press). Public Opinion Quarterly; Nisbet & Markowitz (in press). PLoS One

Scientific Reservations (r=.38)

• 'Scientific research these days

doesn't pay enough attention

to the moral values of society‟

• 'Scientific research has

created as many problems for

society as it has solutions‟

Scientific Optimism (r=.40)

• „Scientific research is essential

for improving the quality of

human lives‟

• „New technology used in

medicine allows people to live

longer and better‟

The Popularization and Dissemination Model

@MCNisbet

Engages a core audience of science

enthusiasts who can comment, share, and

repurpose.

Can reach through incidental exposure non-

attentive, broader publics.

Can shape the decisions and thinking of

policymakers, journalists and funders.

For scientists, can build personal

brand, increase citation impact, influence

scientific peers, and develop skills and

experience.

Popularization & The Cycle of Hype

@MCNisbet

Commercialization and competition for funding

puts pressure on scientists and institutions to

“oversell” their findings.

Media coverage emphasizes near term societal

benefits and market development with less

emphasis on uncertainty and possible risks.

Hype risks credibility and trust in science and

may undermine ability to do basic research.

Increasingly defines science and higher

education in terms of economic development and

job growth.

Popularization and the Framing of Policy Options:

Evaluating the Media Impact of a Bestseller

@MCNisbet

0 20 40 60 80 100

Advocacy

Education

Privacy

Accountability

Control / Access

Progress

Welfare

Compensation

Informed Consent

Minor Emphasis

Major Emphasis

% of Reviews, Profiles, Features, Interviews & Opinion Articles

N = 125

ETHICAL THEMES EMPHASIZED IN MEDIA DISCUSSION

Nisbet & Fahy (2012).

Public Intellectuals and Communities of Assumptions

@MCNisbet

o Public intellectuals help create discourses and “communities of

assumptions” that define problems and policy options.

o By calling attention to specific disciplines and networks of

experts, they define which experts or views might be

mainstream versus what might be contrarian or out of bounds.

o Once assumptions and legitimate authorities are established, it

becomes “costly in terms of human mental labor to re-examine

what has finally come to be taken for granted.”

o Other public intellectuals are needed to “disturb the canonical

peace” and “defamiliarize the obvious” by identifying the

flaws in conventional wisdom and by offering alternative

renderings of a problem.

Nisbet (2011); Nisbet (2013); Nisbet (under review).

“Soft Path” Technocratic Approach to Social ChangeDesign to Win Foundations, 2007-2010 / $368M Distributed Across 1248 Grants

@MCNisbetNisbet (2011); Nisbet (2013); Nisbet (under review).

Personalities, Celebrities and Global Commodities

@MCNisbet

o Merge public and private selves by relating

complex ideas or problems to personal

anecdotes, “journeys,” “realizations.”

o Appearance, headshot, image, and dress

are likely to be consistent with the subject

matter they write about.

o Establish authenticity, commitment to a

topic i.e. “walks the walk,” “practices what

they preach” or has acquired unique

knowledge through exceptional

experiences.

o Most are commodities, in that their

books, writing, and speeches are bound up

with a dense web of

promotion, selling, marketing, and

millions of dollars in transactions.

Nisbet (2011); Nisbet (2013); Nisbet (under review).

Public Intellectuals Online & Spirals of Attention

@MCNisbet

o Motivated “issue publics” deep dive

into subject content across

outlets, making public intellectual work

online participatory and social.

o Articles become most popular, read, or

emailed at news

sites…flagged, highlighted, contextua

lized, and spread by way of

comments, Facebook “like” buttons, and

indicators of how often a story has been

re-tweeted.

o Meta-commentary and reactions from

bloggers and journalists at other news

sites turns article into “pseudo-event.”

www.ClimateShiftProject.org

@MCNisbet