title: Understanding public opinion in debates over biomedical research: looking beyond political partisanship to focus on beliefs about science and society.
abstract: As social scientists have investigated the political and social factors influencing public opinion in science-related policy debates, there has been growing interest in the implications of this research for public communication and outreach. Given the level of political polarization in the United States, much of the focus has been on partisan differences in public opinion, the strategies employed by political leaders and advocates that promote those differences, and the counter-strategies for overcoming them. Yet this focus on partisan differences tends to overlook the processes by which core beliefs about science and society impact public opinion and how these schema are often activated by specific frames of reference embedded in media coverage and popular discourse. In this study, analyzing cross-sectional, nationally representative survey data collected between 2002 and 2010, we investigate the relative influence of political partisanship and science-related schema on Americans' support for embryonic stem cell research. In comparison to the influence of partisan identity, our findings suggest that generalized beliefs about science and society were more chronically accessible, less volatile in relation to media attention and focusing events, and an overall stronger influence on public opinion. Classifying respondents into four unique audience groups based on their beliefs about science and society, we additionally find that individuals within each of these groups split relatively evenly by partisanship but differ on other important dimensions. The implications for public engagement and future research on controversies related to biomedical science are discussed.
authors.affiliation: American University, School of Communication, Washington, DC, United States of America.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nisbet
authors.affiliation: Earth Institute and Center for Research on Environmental Decisions, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America ; Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ezra M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Markowitz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000941:ethics*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011057:Politics; D011639:Public Opinion; D011640:Public Policy; D012586:Science; D057905:Stem Cell Research / Q000941:ethics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States