If scientists expect the public to support scientific and medical research, they must do more to engage citizens in ways that don’t turn them off or turn them away in frustration, she said at Research!America’s annual meeting on March 16. Wooden cited results of a poll sponsored by Research!America and Parade magazine showing strong support for biomedical research in the United States.

Complaining that the public is scientifically illiterate won’t improve their understanding of science and is likely to backfire, she said. “Scientists work by collecting data and drawing conclusions, but the public makes decisions less on accumulations of facts than on deeply held values.”

People want to know how choices fit their values and are personally relevant to their lives. That means framing choices that fall into the area between scientific content and social factors, she noted.

“Scientists must help the public find its own voice,” Wooden said. “Better to improve the public’s judgment than merely add to their store of data.”

But researchers interested in engaging the public should also rule out several familiar but counterproductive ways of going about it. One is the large forum, which tends to get hijacked by special interests or those with an agenda, Wooden said. The other is a pontificating, jargon-laden lecture by “elites.”

Instead, Wooden said, “we need a different kind of scientific leadership, one that presents the pro and con of an argument, really working through the issues with citizens in an atmosphere of mutual respect.”

Scientists can also reach the public through the media, but many avoid public statements because they fear their research will be over-simplified, said Lee Kravitz, editor in chief of Parade magazine.

“The public sees research as important, so don’t be shy in talking to journalists,” he advised. “That only makes it hard for reporters to dig in and tell a story.”

To read more about Research!America’s forum in Washington, D.C., go here.

--Aaron Levin, Health Behavior News Service