What do people know about climate change ― and how confident are they? On measurements and analyses of science related knowledge

Abstract

The measurement and analysis of people's knowledge on scientific topics, such as climate change, is challenging for researchers. One reason is that objectives are multi-dimensional and that probability is inherent. Moreover, uncertainties can exist on the individual's level among the public, but are rarely grasped by existing scales. Therefore, researchers must thoroughly consider what to measure and how. This paper theorizes five different dimensions of climate change knowledge. Three response scales including different degrees of confidence are applied on data from a German online survey (n = 935); empirical results of multivariate regression analyses on attitudes are compared. Results highlight the importance of distinctively measuring dimensions and types of knowledge. Abstract

Who wants to be a citizen scientist? Identifying the potential of citizen science and target segments in Switzerland

“…gives respondents a 50% random chance to answer correctly to a format allowing respondents to indicate the level of certainty in their answers (Taddicken, Reif, & Hoppe, 2018). Answers for the 11 items were combined in an index: correct answers gave respondents one point for the "likely" and two points for the "definitely" version.…”

Operationalizing science literacy: an experimental analysis of measurement

“…This research built on previous scholarship by Taddicken, Reif and Hoppe [2018], which identified that knowledge is a nuanced construct for which determining appropriate measurements is challenging. Our findings show there can be advantages of using one scale over the other.…”

“…Beyond comparisons between factual and subjective knowledge, some scholars have pointed attention toward subtler differences that may be impacting knowledge assessment [e.g. Taddicken, Reif and Hoppe, 2018]. Most public opinion scholarship that incorporates a measurement of factual knowledge asks participants' responses to a series of true/false indicators.…”

“…Most public opinion scholarship that incorporates a measurement of factual knowledge asks participants' responses to a series of true/false indicators. It has been noted that publications often fail to adequately describe the measurement and recoding efforts associated with such knowledge items [Taddicken, Reif and Hoppe, 2018]. Various operationalizations of science knowledge exist, and each can be useful depending on the situational context and research goals.…”

“…In an attempt to address the variation in knowledge scales, Taddicken, Reif and Hoppe [2018] tested different operationalizations of factual science knowledge by recoding survey responses into scales that are used interchangeably in studies. They found that the 5-point scale -the one employed by the NSB -measured an additional integration of confidence in one's knowledge relative to the GSS's 3-point scale, or a binary scale (True or False), the latter two of which primarily indicated accuracy.…”