The growing importance of social media for getting science news has raised questions about whether these online platforms foster or hinder public trust in science. Employing multilevel modeling, this study leverages a 20-country survey to examine the relationship between social media news use and trust in science. Results show a positive relationship between these variables across countries. Moreover, the between-country variation in this relationship is related to two cultural characteristics of a country, individualism/collectivism and power distance.
1.Univ Vienna, Media Innovat Lab, Dept Commun, Vienna, Austria 2.Univ Alabama, Dept Journalism & Creat Media, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 USA 3.Univ Vienna, Dept Commun, Wahringer Str 29, A-1090 Vienna, Austria 4.Univ Diego Portales, Dept Comunicac & Letras, Santiago, Chile 5.Massey Univ, Sch Psychol, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Recommended Citation:
Huber, Brigitte,Barnidge, Matthew,Gil de Zuniga, Homero,et al. Fostering public trust in science: The role of social media[J]. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE,2019-01-01,28(7):759-777