Certainly Uncertainty

Abstract: Science museums face the challenge of communicating the inherent uncertainties of science without risking the public’s trust and interest in science. Here, we investigated potential museum visitors’ (N = 466) reception and support for such uncertainty communication by combining an experimental and survey approach as well as quantitative and qualitative data. First, we experimentally manipulated whether historic consensus uncertainty was communicated (a) not at all, (b) incidentally, or (c) explicitly. Uncertainty neither affected visitors’ trust nor interest in the presented information, in a hypothetical exhibition, or in science in general, or their attitudes towards current scientific debates. Second, we asked participants directly about their opinion towards uncertainty communication in science museums, revealing overwhelmingly positive attitudes and 12 times as many statements in support of (vs. against) communicating uncertainty in science exhibitions. These findings suggest that potential museum visitors’ do not only tolerate but actively support uncertainty communication in science museums.