Communicating natural hazards science advice: Understanding scientists', decision-makers’, and the public's perceptions of the scientific process
Loading...
Date
2025-10-01
Open Access Location
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier B.V.
Rights
(c) 2025 The Author/s
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Abstract
How individuals perceive scientific processes impacts their interpretation of, trust in, and use of, science advice particularly when managing uncertain natural hazard risk. We explored a) how diverse stakeholders understand how science of natural hazards is produced, and b) how this relates to their ontological, epistemological, and philosophical views of science. Using inductive analysis of semi-structured interviews with 31 participants involved in the management of natural hazards in Aotearoa New Zealand (including non-scientists), we produced three leading themes describing their views: 1) ‘Science is a way of seeing the world’; 2) ‘Science has limitations’; and 3) ‘Knowledge evolves’.
Across Scientist, non-Scientist, and Lay public groups, there was broad agreement on the fundamental steps of the scientific process, aligning mostly with a hypothetico-deductive process. However, many discussed how others may have different perspectives of scientific approaches, truth, and reality. These are informed by training, disciplinary biases, cultural practices, and personal experience of hazards and associated science.
We propose that individuals who recognise different worldviews and philosophies of science will experience higher levels of communication and cognitive uncertainty, which encourages information seeking behaviour and can improve communication efficacy, particularly during high pressure events. We conclude with three communication lessons: 1) be transparent about the processes and causes of change in natural hazards science advice; 2) communicate as both trusted individuals as well as through collective Science Advisory Group (SAG) systems; and 3) provide accessible structures and language to help lay people articulate scientific processes they often intuitively understand, rather than just simplifying information.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Doyle EEH, Thompson J, Hill SR, Williams M, Paton D, Harrison SE, Bostrom A, Becker JS. (2025). Communicating natural hazards science advice: Understanding scientists', decision-makers’, and the public's perceptions of the scientific process. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 128.