TY - JOUR
T1 - Factors influencing public risk-benefit considerations of nanotechnology
T2 - Assessing the effects of mass media, interpersonal communication, and elaborative processing
AU - Ho, Shirley S.
AU - Scheufele, Dietram A.
AU - Corley, Elizabeth
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (grant number SES-0531194). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
PY - 2013/7
Y1 - 2013/7
N2 - This study examines the influence of mass media, interpersonal communication, and elaborative processing on public perception of benefits and risks of nanotechnology, based on a large-scale nationally representative telephone survey of U.S. adult citizens. Results indicate that cognitive processes in the form of news elaboration had a significant positive main effect on benefits outweigh risks perception. The influences of attention to science in newspapers, attention to science news on television, and interpersonal communication about science on public perception of benefits outweigh risks were moderated by elaborative processing, after controlling for socio-demographic variables, religious beliefs, trust in scientists, and scientific knowledge. The findings highlight the importance of elaborative processing when it comes to understanding how the mass media differentially influence public benefits outweigh risks perception of emerging technologies. Specifically, high elaborative processing emphasizes higher levels of perceived benefits outweigh risks than low elaborative processing. This study explores explanations for this phenomenon and offers implications for future research and policy.
AB - This study examines the influence of mass media, interpersonal communication, and elaborative processing on public perception of benefits and risks of nanotechnology, based on a large-scale nationally representative telephone survey of U.S. adult citizens. Results indicate that cognitive processes in the form of news elaboration had a significant positive main effect on benefits outweigh risks perception. The influences of attention to science in newspapers, attention to science news on television, and interpersonal communication about science on public perception of benefits outweigh risks were moderated by elaborative processing, after controlling for socio-demographic variables, religious beliefs, trust in scientists, and scientific knowledge. The findings highlight the importance of elaborative processing when it comes to understanding how the mass media differentially influence public benefits outweigh risks perception of emerging technologies. Specifically, high elaborative processing emphasizes higher levels of perceived benefits outweigh risks than low elaborative processing. This study explores explanations for this phenomenon and offers implications for future research and policy.
KW - benefits
KW - elaborative processing
KW - interpersonal communication
KW - mass media
KW - nanotechnology
KW - risks
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U2 - 10.1177/0963662511417936
DO - 10.1177/0963662511417936
M3 - Article
C2 - 23833174
AN - SCOPUS:84879217527
SN - 0963-6625
VL - 22
SP - 606
EP - 623
JO - Public Understanding of Science
JF - Public Understanding of Science
IS - 5
ER -