The Emotions of Uncertainty: Science, Politics, and the Social Dynamics of Decision Making

This dissertation examines how social and emotional factors influence attitudes toward science and decision making regarding science-based policy recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic. I examine boundary work practices among the public as they evaluate experts during the pandemic and the social sources of information people used to construct knowledge. Then I examine the social and emotional factors that participants indicated influenced their own attitude formation and decisions to act regarding public health recommendations during the pandemic. I find that emotions influence each element of the decision process: information gathering, information evaluation, attitude formation, and decisions to act. Affective commitment and moral emotions are important for understanding decision processes and help explain divergences between attitudes and actions. This research provides implications for science and policy communication. Additionally, this research provides insights into democratic deliberation among the public and prospects for future discourse in civil society in a politically contentious environment.