Acknowledging different levels of audience engagement in science in research outreach strategies

The outreach strategies of research projects often focus on ambitious objectives such as improving the knowledge base for stakeholders, promoting uptake of informed strategies and societal transitions, increasing awareness of research, etc. However, objectives like these take for granted that target audiences are engaged in science and trustful of expertise when we know that there is a growing population throughout society who are neither. The growing mistrust of science and experts is, at least in part, a failure of the science community to reach and engage with a significant sector of society.  In an attempt to address this deficiency in our own work, the ICELINK project aims to tailor key messages to identified target audiences that acknowledge these differing levels of engagement and trust.  While recognizing target audiences, including local stakeholders, policymakers, and the general public, we also recognize that within these audiences we will find individuals and groups who are:

• highly engaged (e.g., those who would, for example, eagerly attend a public science event);
• marginally engaged (e.g., those who would attend a public science event if it were convenient or brought to them, but might not actively seek one out); and
• unengaged (e.g., those who would not attend a public science event without some external motivator).

While scientists tend to excel at engaging with members of the public who are highly and marginally engaged in science, those in the third category are at high risk of being overlooked. With this in mind, in addition to sharing ICELINK’s science objectives, results, and outputs in innovative and creative ways, we also intend to help rebuild trust in science by sharing messages of greater relevance to less engaged audiences. For example, when communicating about climate change, we aim to use more positive messaging of hope and empowerment through personal action, an approach that is thought to increase an audience’s receptiveness compared to focusing solely on the consequences of climate change and inaction. We can also help make scientists (and experts generally) more relatable through personal perspective storytelling, and we will use “lightening experiences” (a.k.a. the “wow factor”) to help audiences appreciate difficult-to-grasp concepts (like vast spatial and temporal scales) and to remind people about the power and possibilities of science.

Scientists need to be better at reaching more diverse members of the general public. When planning our outreach strategies, if we can adjust our pathways to engagement, messaging, and expectations to be relevant to the full engagement/trust spectrum, perhaps we can have more of an impact on all audiences.