Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Fixing the communications failure

People's grasp of scientific debates can improve if communicators build on the fact that cultural values influence what and whom we believe, says Dan Kahan.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Hastorf, A. H. & Cantril, H. J. Abnorm. Soc. Psychol. 49, 129–134 (1954).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Douglas, M. & Wildavsky, A. B. Risk and Culture: An Essay on the Selection of Technical and Environmental Dangers. (Univ. California Press, 1982).

    Google Scholar 

  3. DiMaggio, P. Annu. Rev. Sociol. 23, 263–287 (1997).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Kahan, D. M., Braman, D., Gastil, J., Slovic, P. & Mertz, C. K. J. Empir. Legal Stud. 4, 465–505 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Kahan, D. M., Braman, D., Slovic, P., Gastil, J. & Cohen, G. Nature Nanotechnol. 4, 87–91 (2009).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Kahan, D. M., Braman, D., Cohen, G. L., Slovic, P. & Gastil, J. Law Human Behav. (in the press).

  7. Cohen, G. L., Aronson, J. & Steele, C. M. Pers. Soc. Psychol. Bull. 26, 1151–1164 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Cohen, G. L. et al. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. B. 93, 415–430 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

See Editorial, page 269 .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kahan, D. Fixing the communications failure. Nature 463, 296–297 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/463296a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/463296a

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing