Psychological Distance to Science as a Predictor of Science Skepticism Across Domains

Većkalov, Bojana; Zarzeczna, Natalia; McPhetres, Jonathon; van Harreveld, Frenk; Rutjens, Bastiaan T.

Abstract

This article presents and tests psychological distance to science (PSYDISC) as a domain-general predictor of science skepticism. Drawing on the concept of psychological distance, PSYDISC reflects the extent to which individuals perceive science as a tangible undertaking conducted by people similar to oneself (social), with effects in the here (spatial) and now (temporal), and as useful and applicable in the real world (hypothetical distance). In six studies (two preregistered; total N = 1,630) and two countries, we developed and established the factor structure and validity of a scale measuring PSYDISC. Crucially, higher PSYDISC predicted skepticism beyond established predictors, across science domains. A final study showed that PSYDISC shapes real-world behavior (COVID-19 vaccination uptake). This work thus provides a novel tool to predict science skepticism, as well as a construct that can help to further develop a unifying framework to understand science skepticism across domains.

Citation

Većkalov, B., Zarzeczna, N., McPhetres, J., van Harreveld, F., & Rutjens, B. T. (2024). Psychological Distance to Science as a Predictor of Science Skepticism Across Domains. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 50(1), 18–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672221118184

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 18, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Sep 3, 2022
• Publication Date: 2024-01
• Deposit Date: Nov 24, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 24, 2022
• Journal: Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
• Print ISSN: 0146-1672
• Electronic ISSN: 1552-7433
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 50
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 18–37
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672221118184
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1186032