Series 3, Episode 24: Why attitudes toward scientific consensus can be disastrous, with Professor Nick Light, University of Oregon

In a 2022 paper published in Science Advances, our guest today along with co-authors argued that “Public attitudes that are in opposition to scientific consensus can be disastrous and include rejection of vaccines and opposition to climate change mitigation policies.”

So what does this mean? And what are the implications for both science and society?

To discuss this I am joined by Professor Nick Light of the Lundquist College of Business at the University of Oregon.

About our guest…

In his research, Nick applies what marketers and psychologists have learned about consumer knowledge, preferences, and risk perceptions to address problems relating to the public’s understanding of science. Nick also studies consumers’ perceptions of the simplicity or complexity of brands, objects, and phenomena, and the downstream consequences of those perceptions.

Prior to joining academia, Nick worked for about 8 years as a marketing manager and strategist for several Fortune 500 brands in New York City and interned at the United Nations.

• Nick’s website with more information on his research can be accessed here: www.nicklightresearch.com
• The paper discussed in the article - Knowledge overconfidence is associated with anti-consensus views on controversial scientific issues - is open access and available here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abo0038
• More information on University of Oregon Center for Science Communication Research can be found here: https://scr.uoregon.edu/

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