Public Backlash Against Science Communicators: Conceptualization and Qualitative Analysis of Perceptions, Effects, Responses, and Context Factors

Public backlash against scientists increasingly draws concern. It can originate from citizens, politicians, or journalists and range from legitimate criticism of scientific work to harassment and physical attacks. However, criticism and harassment also affect science communication professionals, which has received comparably little public and scholarly attention. Our study addresses this gap. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 15 university communicators from multiple countries, we develop a conceptual model that systematizes their perceptions of public backlash, the effects on them or their institutions, response strategies, and context factors. Our analysis introduces criteria for distinguishing legitimate criticism from illegitimate backlash and describes negative but also positive effects on science communication. The results elucidate proactive and reactive response strategies and highlight the influence of topic characteristics, routes of backlash, and sociopolitical contexts. Overall, they offer a new perspective on the normative imperative for public engagement. We discuss implications for science communication research and practice.