Climate‐Science Communication and the Measurement Problem

This article examines the science‐of‐science‐communication measurement problem . In its simplest form, the problem reflects the use of externally invalid measures of the dynamics that generate cultural conflict over risk and other policy‐relevant facts. But at a more fundamental level, the science‐of‐science‐communication measurement problem inheres in the phenomena being measured themselves. The “beliefs” individuals form about a societal risk such as climate change are not of a piece; rather they reflect the distinct clusters of inferences that individuals draw as they engage information for two distinct ends: to gain access to the collective knowledge furnished by science and to enjoy the sense of identity…