Flight or fight? - How the coronavirus pandemic has affected scientists’ willingness to engage with the public

  • During the coronavirus pandemic, scientists who worked to overcome the outbreak received recognition, but also opposition and even hostility. This article examines how the experience of the pandemic has affected the willingness of scientists to engage with the public. Derived from a comprehensive survey of 4207 scientists at German universities and research institutions, animosity towards scientists during the pandemic has created a sense of insecurity that may cause them to withdraw from the public eye. Depending on the relative strength of two cognitive appraisals, the severity of the threat and the appropriateness of the retreat option, the likelihood of respondents engaging with the public varies significantly.

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Author:Frank Marcinkowski, Hella de Haas, Sarah Kohler
Qualitätssicherung:peer reviewed
open access:Gold - Erstveröffentlichung mit Lizenzhinweis
Research fields:Wissenschaft / Wissenschaftsforschung
Fachbereich/Einrichtung:Hochschule Düsseldorf / Fachbereich - Wirtschaftswissenschaften
Document Type:Article
Year of Completion:2025
Language of Publication:English
Publisher:Springer Nature
Parent Title (English):Humanities and Social Sciences Communications
Volume:12
Article Number:814
Page Number:11
URN:urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-60444
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05023-3
ISSN:2662-9992
GND Keyword:COVID-19-PandemieGND; WissenschaftskommunikationGND; BedrohungGND; WahrnehmungGND; ÖffentlichkeitGND
Information on the Research Data:The data sets generated and analysed during the current study are not publicly available at present, as their analysis and publication is not yet complete. However, they can be requested from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Dewey Decimal Classification:3 Sozialwissenschaften / 30 Sozialwissenschaften, Soziologie / 300 Sozialwissenschaften
Licence (German):Creative Commons - CC BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International
Release Date:2026/02/09
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