Acknowledging Uncertainty and the Scientific Process Increases Perceived Trustworthiness and Understanding of Public Health Risk Communication

Public health staff face important challenges in attempting to inform communities about complex and evolving circumstances such as the outbreak of foodborne illness. Although staff may be tempted to minimize announcements and only report the most basic facts about a known situation, our study demonstrates that enhanced communication efforts can improve perceived trustworthiness and community understanding. Including additional message elements that express compassion, acknowledge uncertainty, and explain the scientific efforts being conducted to investigate the situation appears to positively affect audience response and hold potential to improve community relations.