Applying the science of communication to the communication of science

Imagine a world in which social and decision scientists control the communication of climate science. Before creating messages, they look at the sky, hold a wet finger to the wind, glance at a weather map, and listen to a bit of talk radio. Having assessed what people need to know about climate, they draft theoretically sound messages, then subject them to rigorous empirical testing. Their theoretical analysis of what to say and how to say it draws on the vast research literatures regarding risk perception and communication, science education, judgment and decision making, literacy, numeracy, emotion, social norms, and behavior change (e.g., Fischhoff 2009, 2010; Fischhoff and Kadvany 2011; Gardner and Stern 2002; National Research Council 1989; O’Hagan et al. 2006; Plous 1993; Politi et al. 2007; Slovic 2001, 2010; vonWinterfeldt and Edwards 1986), as well as the more modest literatures focused on climate (e.g., Bostrom et al. 1994; Fischhoff 1981, 2007; Fischhoff and Furby 1983; Kempton et al. 1995; Moser 2009; Pidgeon and Fischhoff 2011; Reynolds et al. 2010; Weber and Stern 2011). Their empirical testing begins by interviewing individuals from the target audiences asking them to review the draft communication, commenting on whatever crosses their minds. Is its wording comprehensible? Can they follow its arguments? Does it answer their questions—or raise important new ones? Do its authors seem credible? Once additional interviews yield little additional insight, the designers settle on messages that might work for their various audiences (who might differ in background knowledge, political orientation, and climate-related decisions). These drafts are then tested in conditions approximating their intended use, seeing whether people can extract the content that they need, apply that knowledge to their decisions, and appraise its limits. Recognizing the difficulties of isolating the effects of individual messages, these social and decision scientists use surveys to track public beliefs and attitudes on climate-related issues (Leiserowitz et al. 2010; Lorenzoni and Pidgeon 2006; McCright and Dunlap 2011). Climatic Change (2011) 108:701–705 DOI 10.1007/s10584-011-0183-9