{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T23:59:06Z","timestamp":1788307146239,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"The Royal Society","issue":"1956","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,13]],"date-time":"2011-12-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1323734400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/royalsociety.org\/journals\/ethics-policies\/data-sharing-mining\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["royalsocietypublishing.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,13]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Although much work has been done by scientists in developing communications to non-scientist audiences, much less attention has been given by them to the ways in which those messages are interpreted. Here, I look at the published work that examines the issue. I focus on three contexts in particular: debates over the triple vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, the impacts of the Soufri\u00e8re Hills volcano on the inhabitants of the island of Montserrat and the public communication of the results of climate change research. Several common themes emerge. The most important conclusions are that scientists communicating with the public need to develop their methods deliberatively, involving their target audiences; and that they need to avoid undue dependence on traditional media and public authorities for such communication, and to develop multiple channels to those audiences, including Internet-based and more traditional social networks. Their approach to communicating uncertainty should depend on the context but, except in some extreme emergencies, transparency is generally a virtue. Above all, they need to persist in such public engagements even when the going is rough and extends over long periods. They need support in doing so.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1098\/rsta.2011.0068","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2011,10,31]],"date-time":"2011-10-31T03:41:31Z","timestamp":1320032491000},"page":"4891-4912","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1098\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":28,"title":["Understanding the receivers and the reception of science's uncertain messages"],"prefix":"10.1098","volume":"369","author":[{"given":"Philip","family":"Campbell","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Nature, 4 Crinan Street, London N1 9XW, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"175","reference":[{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C1","volume-title":"Immunization safety review\u2014vaccines and autism","author":"Institute of Medicine","year":"2004"},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C2","volume-title":"Towards a better map: science, the public and the media","author":"Hargreaves,","year":"2003"},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1595","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vaccine.2008.01.011","article-title":"Parents\u2019 vaccination comprehension and decisions","volume":"26","author":"Downs,","year":"2008","journal-title":"Vaccine"},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"271","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2009.2023","article-title":"Public health response to influenza A (H1N1) as an opportunity to build public trust","volume":"303","author":"Larson,","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. Am. Med. Assoc."},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"246","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1161297","article-title":"Implications of magma transfer between multiple reservoirs on eruption cycling","volume":"322","author":"Elsworth,","year":"2008","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"169","DOI":"10.1144\/SP307.10","article-title":"Cyclic activity at Soufri\u00e8re Hills volcano, Montserrat: degassing-induced pressurization and stick-slip extrusion","volume":"307","author":"Lensky,","year":"2008","journal-title":"Geol. Soc. Lond. Spec. Publ."},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C7","first-page":"359","article-title":"Volcanic activity: frontiers and challenges in forecasting, prediction and risk assessment","volume":"19","author":"Sparks,","year":"2004","journal-title":"State Planet Geophys. Monogr. 150"},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"259","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jvolgeores.2007.12.012","article-title":"Whose reality counts?: Factors affecting the perception of volcanic risk","volume":"172","author":"Haynes,","year":"2007","journal-title":"J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res."},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"605","DOI":"10.1007\/s00445-007-0156-z","article-title":"The issue of trust and its influence on risk communication during a volcanic crisis","volume":"70","author":"Haynes,","year":"2008","journal-title":"Bull. Volcanol."},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1144\/SP305.14","article-title":"Framing volcanic risk communication within disaster risk reduction: finding ways for the social and physical sciences to work together","volume-title":"Communicating environmental geoscience","author":"Barclay,","year":"2008"},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"323","DOI":"10.1007\/PL00008908","article-title":"Subcommittee for Crisis Protocols: professional conduct of scientists during volcanic crises","volume":"60","author":"IAVCEI","year":"1999","journal-title":"Bull. Volcanol."},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9780511841200","volume-title":"Why we disagree about climate change","author":"Hulme,","year":"2009"},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C13","volume-title":"Psychology and global climate change: addressing a multi-faceted phenomenon and set of challenges","author":"Swim,","year":"2009"},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9780511550461.002","article-title":"The social amplification of risk: assessing fifteen years of research and theory","volume-title":"The social amplification of risk","author":"Kasperson,","year":"2003"},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C15","article-title":"Uncertainties in the IPCC TAR: recommendations to lead authors for more consistent assessment and reporting","volume-title":"Guidance papers on the cross cutting issues of the Third Assessment Report of the IPCC","author":"Moss,","year":"2000"},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"891","DOI":"10.1038\/421891a","article-title":"Liability for climate change","volume":"421","author":"Allen,","year":"2003","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.environ.040308.101032","article-title":"The detection and attribution of human influence on climate","volume":"24","author":"Stone,","year":"2009","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour."},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C18","article-title":"Best practice approaches for characterizing, communicating and incorporating scientific uncertainty in climate decision making","author":"Morgan,","year":"2009"},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"25","DOI":"10.1080\/10807039.1998.11009680","article-title":"Uncertainty analysis in risk assessment","volume":"4","author":"Morgan,","year":"1998","journal-title":"Hum. Ecol. Risk Assess."},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"299","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467-9280.2009.02284.x","article-title":"Improving communication of uncertainty in reports of the IPCC","volume":"20","author":"Budesco,","year":"2009","journal-title":"Psychol. Sci."},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"294","DOI":"10.1038\/463294a","article-title":"A route to more tractable expert advice","volume":"463","author":"Aspinall,","year":"2010","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"195","DOI":"10.1007\/s10584-005-9025-y","article-title":"Elicitation of expert judgements of aerosol forcing","volume":"75","author":"Morgan,","year":"2006","journal-title":"Clim. Change"},{"key":"2026010313153126400_RSTA20110068C23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"468","DOI":"10.1021\/es00010a003","article-title":"Subjective judgements by climate experts","volume":"29","author":"Morgan,","year":"1995","journal-title":"Environ. Sci. Technol."}],"container-title":["Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/royalsocietypublishing.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1098\/rsta.2011.0068","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/royalsocietypublishing.org\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1098\/rsta.2011.0068","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/royalsocietypublishing.org\/rsta\/article-pdf\/369\/1956\/4891\/1354647\/rsta.2011.0068.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/royalsocietypublishing.org\/rsta\/article-pdf\/369\/1956\/4891\/1354647\/rsta.2011.0068.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,3]],"date-time":"2026-01-03T18:15:37Z","timestamp":1767464137000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/royalsocietypublishing.org\/rsta\/article\/369\/1956\/4891\/114549\/Understanding-the-receivers-and-the-reception-of"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,13]]},"references-count":23,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1956","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,13]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1098\/rsta.2011.0068","relation":{},"ISSN":["1364-503X","1471-2962"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1364-503X","type":"print"},{"value":"1471-2962","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,13]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2011-12-13","order":2,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}]}}