This project seeks to understand how science, public opinion, and media interact in shaping public decision making. The context of inquiry for this project will be the six communities currently being evaluated by the Department of Homeland Security to host the National Bio- and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF). The design incorporates public opinion survey methodology, in-depth interviews with stakeholders and media content analysis. This multi-faceted design will provide insights into both successful and failed communication strategies aimed at engaging local residents, and help the research team develop a better understanding of how public deliberation can help or undermine efforts to meaningfully connect with various publics on risk-related issues. The research will contribute to understanding the social amplification an attenuation of risk.
In particular, the PI is interested in two levels of outcome variables. At a first level, the PI will explore how the interplay of media coverage, interpersonal channels, and predispositional factors shape feelings of trust toward various stakeholders, including executive and regulatory bodies at the state and federal level, local agencies and governments, and other regional players. This first outcome variable is likely to directly shape a second-level outcome variable that this project examines through comparative analysis of multiple communities: public perceptions of risks and their dynamic nature over time.
