Academics’ Attitudes Toward Engaging in Public Discussions
Experimental Evidence on the Impact of Engagement Conditions
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21752128 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Vitus Püttmann (0000-0002-6152-2764, Leibniz University Hannover, corresponding author), Jens Ruhose (0000-0002-6942-4448, Ifo Institute for Economic Research), Stephan L Thomsen (0000-0002-9677-9199, Leibniz University Hannover) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 64 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 765-788 |
| Publication date | 2023-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Research in Higher Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1573-188X • E-ISSN: 0361-0365 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11162-022-09725-4 |
| PMID | 36530490 |
| OpenAlex | W3207514727 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 33 |
Growing demands and expectations on the side of policy makers and the public have changed the conditions for academics’ engagement in public discussions. At the same time, risks related to this engagement for the professional and even private lives of academics have become apparent. Conducting a survey experiment among 4091 tenured professors in Germany, we study how these conditions causally affect academics’ attitudes toward engaging. Consistent with the crowding-out of intrinsic motivation, we find less-positive attitudes when emphasizing demands for engagement by public authorities and public expectations toward science’s societal relevance. Effects are particularly strong among professors endorsing science–society relations. Moreover, effects are similar when highlighting risks associated with engagement, but more pronounced for females and younger professors. Emphasizing public support for academics’ engagement has no discernible effects. We conclude that considering individual incentive structures and safeguarding against negative repercussions may promote academics’ engagement and an adequate representation of the diversity of academics in the public
Economics · Incentive · Political science · Public engagement · Public relations · Safeguarding · Sociology · Survey data collection · Academic Freedom and Politics · Climate Change Communication and Perception · Psychology · Risk Perception and Management · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2.5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |