Seminar
Public opinion and communication about science: Global evidence from a 68-country survey
- Date
- Friday 23 January 2026
- Time
- Series
- CWTS Research Seminars
- Location
-
Willem Einthoven
Kolffpad 1
2333 BN Leiden - Room
- Online & Common rooms at CWTS
About the seminar
For science communication to achieve informed citizenries and meaningful public engagement with science, it is instrumental to analyse how people perceive scientists and communicate about science. However, existing analyses focus on Western countries and barely assess cross-national differences against the backdrop of sociopolitical, economic, and cultural factors. Niels Mede will present results of a worldwide population survey in 68 countries that addressed these limitations. The survey investigated how much people around the world trust scientists, perceive scientists’ role in society, and think about scientists’ involvement in politics. It also explored how people encounter information about science, how they communicate about it with others, and how often they participate in public protests on science issues. The seminar will conclude with a discussion of implications for science-society interfaces and science communication. For example, Niels Mede will interrogate how the results can support positive change toward a more culturally sensitive understanding of science communication and improve science communication practice.
About the speaker
Niels G. Mede is an Assistant Professor of Science Communication at Wageningen University & Research (Netherlands). He studies science and environmental communication, focusing on digital media, public perceptions of science and its role in society and politics, harassment of scholars, science literacy, and survey methodology. Niels Mede holds a PhD in communication studies from the University of Zurich, where he worked as a doctoral and then postdoctoral scholar. During his career, he has been a visiting scholar at the Department of Life Sciences Communication of the University of Wisconsin—Madison (2022), the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford (2023), the Digital Media Research Centre at the Queensland University of Technology (2024), and the Digital Democracy Centre at the University of Southern Denmark (2025). Niels Mede is co-leading two survey projects on public opinion and communication about science: the 68-country study TISP, which investigates trust in scientists and their role in society worldwide, and the Science Barometer Switzerland, a 2016-2031 survey of the Swiss population. Moreover, he serves as Secretary of the Environmental Communication Division of the International Communication Association (ICA) and co-chair of the Science Communication Section of the German Communication Association (DGPuK). Find more information on his website