The harassment of scientists, particularly on social media, is a growing issue. But what impact does it have when the public witnesses such harassment? A new study by Jana Egelhofer, Christina Seeger, and Alice Binder examines this question. Their article, titled “The effects of witnessing harassment of scientists on public perceptions of science,” has now been published in the Journal of Science Communication (JCOM).
The study is based on a pre-registered 2×2 between-subjects experiment with 1,246 participants. The findings show that the visibility of uncivil comments harassing scientists – regardless of the scientist’s gender – negatively affects public trust in the harassed scientists. However, witnessing such harassment had no direct effect on overall trust in scientists or scientific information. Moreover, gender differences and populist attitudes towards science play a moderating role.
Read the article: The effects of witnessing harassment of scientists on public perceptions of science
This research highlights the importance of respectful communication and underscores the need to protect scientists from harassment – not only for their well-being but also to maintain public trust in science. Check out the #standup4science campaign, which aims to raise awareness about harassment in science communication and provides guidance on how to actively intervene in cases of online hostility.