Niels G. Mede

Niels G. Mede

Science Communication Researcher

University of Zurich, Switzerland

Biography

I am a Senior Research and Teaching Associate at the Department of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ) of the University of Zurich, where I also completed a PhD in communication studies. My work focuses on science communication, public opinion, populism, digital media, climate change communication, and survey methodology. Together with main project lead Viktoria Cologna (Harvard University), I am currently conducting a global Many Labs study on trust in science and science-related populism – find more information on our project website.

Over the last years, I was a visiting researcher at the Department of Life Sciences Communication of the University of Wisconsin—Madison (2022), the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford (2023), and the Digital Media Research Centre at the Queensland University of Technology (2024). You can also find me on Mastodon and Bluesky.

If you have questions about my research, you can ask them to this Poe Bot. He has been trained with all of my publications and will reply based on these.

Interests
  • Science communication
  • Digital media
  • Public perceptions of science
  • Threats and attacks against science
  • Climate change communication
  • Comparative analysis
  • Survey methodology
  • Open Science
Education

  • PhD, Communication and Media Research, 2022

    University of Zurich, Switzerland

  • MA, Communication Science, 2018

    University of Münster, Germany

  • BA, Media Management, 2016

    Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, Germany

Publications

Trust in climate science and climate scientists: A narrative review
2024 — PLoS Climate, 3(5).
Viktoria Cologna, John Kotcher, Niels G. Mede, John C. Besley, Edward W. Maibach, Naomi Oreskes
PDF DOI X thread
Trust in climate science and climate scientists: A narrative review
Assessing Large Language Models on climate information
2024 — Proceedings of the 41st International Conference on Machine Learning, PMLR 235.
Jannis Bulian, Mike S. Schäfer, Afra Amini, Heidi Lam, Massimiliano Ciaramita, Ben Gaiarin, Michelle Chen Hübscher, Christian Buck, Niels G. Mede, Markus Leippold, Nadine Strauß
PDF DOI X thread
Assessing Large Language Models on climate information
The “Greta Effect” on social media: A systematic review of research on Thunberg’s impact on digital climate change communication
2024 — Environmental Communication, Advance online publication.
Niels G. Mede, Ralph Schroeder
PDF DOI X thread
The “Greta Effect” on social media: A systematic review of research on Thunberg’s impact on digital climate change communication
The interplay of knowledge overestimation, social media use, and populist ideas: Cross-sectional and experimental evidence from Germany and Taiwan
2024 — Communication Research, Advance online publication.
Niels G. Mede, Adrian Rauchfleisch, Julia Metag, Mike S. Schäfer
PDF Code Dataset DOI X thread Supplements
The interplay of knowledge overestimation, social media use, and populist ideas: Cross-sectional and experimental evidence from Germany and Taiwan
Science-related populism: Conceptualization, empirical investigation, and implications for science communication (Dissertation Summary)
2023 — Studies in Communication Sciences, 23(3), 383–390.
Niels G. Mede
PDF DOI
Science-related populism: Conceptualization, empirical investigation, and implications for science communication (Dissertation Summary)
Variations of science-related populism in comparative perspective: A multilevel segmentation analysis of supporters and opponents of populist demands toward science
2023 — International Journal of Comparative Sociology. Advance online publication.
Niels G. Mede
PDF Code Dataset DOI X thread Supplements
Variations of science-related populism in comparative perspective: A multilevel segmentation analysis of supporters and opponents of populist demands toward science
Cognitio populi – Vox populi: Implications of science-related populism for communication behavior
2023 — Communications. Advance online publication.
Niels G. Mede, Mike S. Schäfer, Julia Metag
PDF Code Dataset DOI X thread Supplements
Cognitio populi – Vox populi: Implications of science-related populism for communication behavior
Populist attitudes towards politics and science: How do they differ?
2023 — Political Research Exchange, 5(1).
Jakob-Moritz Eberl, Robert A. Huber, Niels G. Mede, Esther Greussing
PDF Code DOI X thread
Populist attitudes towards politics and science: How do they differ?
Science-related populism: Conceptualization, empirical investigation, and implications for science communication
2022 — Cumulative Ph.D. thesis at the University of Zurich.
Niels G. Mede
PDF DOI
Science-related populism: Conceptualization, empirical investigation, and implications for science communication
Who supports science-related populism? A nationally representative survey on the prevalence and explanatory factors of populist attitudes toward science in Switzerland
2022 — PLoS One, 17(8).
Niels G. Mede, Mike S. Schäfer, Julia Metag, Kira Klinger
PDF Code Dataset DOI X thread Supplements
Who supports science-related populism? A nationally representative survey on the prevalence and explanatory factors of populist attitudes toward science in Switzerland
Science communication in the face of skepticism, populism, and ignorance: What Don’t Look Up tells us about science denial — and what it doesn’t
2022 — JCOM — Journal of Science Communication, 21(5), C05.
Niels G. Mede
PDF DOI X thread
Science communication in the face of skepticism, populism, and ignorance: What Don’t Look Up tells us about science denial — and what it doesn’t
An anchor in troubled times: Trust in science before and within the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
2022 — PLoS One, 17(2).
Rainer Bromme, Niels G. Mede, Eva Thomm, Bastian Kremer, Ricarda Ziegler
PDF Code Dataset DOI X thread Supplements
An anchor in troubled times: Trust in science before and within the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
Legacy media as inhibitors and drivers of public reservations against science: Global survey evidence on the link between media use and anti-science attitudes
2022 — Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.
Niels G. Mede
PDF Code Dataset DOI X thread Supplements
Legacy media as inhibitors and drivers of public reservations against science: Global survey evidence on the link between media use and anti-science attitudes
Are science communication audiences becoming more critical? Reconstructing migration between audience segments based on Swiss panel data
2022 — Public Understanding of Science, 31(5), 553–562.
Kira Klinger, Julia Metag, Mike S. Schäfer, Tobias Füchslin, Niels G. Mede
PDF DOI X thread Supplements
Are science communication audiences becoming more critical? Reconstructing migration between audience segments based on Swiss panel data
Predicting public trust in science: The role of basic orientations toward science, perceived trustworthiness of scientists, and experiences with science
2022 — Frontiers in Communication.
Florian Wintterlin, Friederike Hendriks, Niels G. Mede, Rainer Bromme, Julia Metag, Mike S. Schäfer
PDF Dataset DOI X thread Supplements
Predicting public trust in science: The role of basic orientations toward science, perceived trustworthiness of scientists, and experiences with science
Science-related populism declining during the COVID-19 pandemic: A panel survey of the Swiss population before and after the Coronavirus outbreak
2022 — Public Understanding of Science, 31(2), 211–222.
Niels G. Mede, Mike S. Schäfer
PDF Code Dataset DOI X thread Supplements
Science-related populism declining during the COVID-19 pandemic: A panel survey of the Swiss population before and after the Coronavirus outbreak
Charakteristika der Forschung zu Wirkungen digitaler Wissenschaftskommunikation: Ein Systematic Review der Fachliteratur
2021 — Wissenschaftspolitik im Dialog: Vol. 17. Wissenschaftskommunikation in der digitalen Welt: Kartierung der Forschungslandschaft in zwei Themenfeldern (pp. 37–82). Berlin: BBAW.
Niels G. Mede
PDF X thread Supplements Codebook
Charakteristika der Forschung zu Wirkungen digitaler Wissenschaftskommunikation: Ein Systematic Review der Fachliteratur
The SciPop Scale for measuring science-related populist attitudes in surveys: Development, test, and validation
2021 — International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 33(2), 273–293.
Niels G. Mede, Mike S. Schäfer, Tobias Füchslin
PDF Dataset DOI X thread Supplements
The SciPop Scale for measuring science-related populist attitudes in surveys: Development, test, and validation
The “replication crisis” in the public eye: Germans’ awareness and perceptions of the (ir)reproducibility of scientific research
2021 — Public Understanding of Science, 30(1), 91–102.
Niels G. Mede, Mike S. Schäfer, Ricarda Ziegler, Markus Weißkopf
PDF Code Dataset DOI Media coverage X thread Supplements
The “replication crisis” in the public eye: Germans’ awareness and perceptions of the (ir)reproducibility of scientific research
Kritik der Wissenschaftskommunikation und ihrer Analyse: PUS, PEST, Politisierung und wissenschaftsbezogener Populismus
2020 — H.-J. Bucher (Ed.), Medienkritik: Zwischen ideologischer Instrumentalisierung und kritischer Aufklärung (pp. 297–314). Köln: Halem.
Niels G. Mede, Mike S. Schäfer
PDF X thread
Kritik der Wissenschaftskommunikation und ihrer Analyse: PUS, PEST, Politisierung und wissenschaftsbezogener Populismus
Science-related populism: Conceptualizing populist demands toward science
2020 — Public Understanding of Science, 29(5), 473–491.
Niels G. Mede, Mike S. Schäfer
PDF DOI Blog post X thread
Science-related populism: Conceptualizing populist demands toward science
Eyeing CRISPR gene editing: Using eye tracking to assess what lay audiences look for to learn more about CRISPR and genetic engineering on Wikipedia
2020 — Environmental Communication, 14(7), 886–903.
Sabrina H. Kessler, Niels G. Mede, Mike S. Schäfer
DOI
Eyeing CRISPR gene editing: Using eye tracking to assess what lay audiences look for to learn more about CRISPR and genetic engineering on Wikipedia

Recent Preprints

Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries: The TISP dataset
To analyze the science-society nexus across different cultural contexts, we conducted the global Many Labs study “Trust in Science and Science-Related Populism” (TISP), which involved a cross-sectional survey with 71,922 participants in 68 countries. This preprint describes the dataset, survey materials and psychometric properties of key variables.
Niels G. Mede, Viktoria Cologna, Sebastian Berger, John Besley, Cameron Brick, Marina Joubert, Edward W. Maibach, Sabina Mihelj, Naomi Oreskes, Mike S. Schäfer, Sander van der Linden, Nor Izzatina Abdul Aziz, Suleiman Abdulsalam, Nurulaini Abu Shamsi, Balazs Aczel, Indro Adinugroho, Eleonora Alabrese, Alaa Aldoh, Mark Alfano, _ _ _, Rolf A. Zwaan
Last updated on Aug 19, 2024
Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries: The TISP dataset
Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries
This large-scale collaborative study analyzes the public trust in scientsts in 68 countries worldwide, predictors and correlates of trust, cross-national and cross-cultural variation, as well as public perceptions of the role of science in society and policy-making.
Viktoria Cologna, Niels G. Mede, Sebastian Berger, John Besley, Cameron Brick, Marina Joubert, Edward W. Maibach, Sabina Mihelj, Naomi Oreskes, Mike S. Schäfer, Sander van der Linden, Nor Izzatina Abdul Aziz, Suleiman Abdulsalam, Nurulaini Abu Shamsi, Balazs Aczel, Indro Adinugroho, Eleonora Alabrese, Alaa Aldoh, Mark Alfano, _ _ _, Rolf A. Zwaan
Last updated on Aug 19, 2024
Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries

Invited Talks and Keynotes (selection)

Zum Umgang mit Mis- und Desinformationen in der Wissenschaftskommunikation – Perspektiven aus Praxis und Forschung

Double keynote with Sven Egenter at the Wisskomm Connected Conference 2024, 11-12 September 2024.

Communicating science in digital media: Challenges and potentials across countries and contexts

Talk in the Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC) at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), 11 July 2024.

The populist challenge to science communication: Comparative evidence from a 67-country survey and potential remedies

Talk in the London Public Understanding of Science Seminar Series at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), 31 January 2024.

A double-edged sword? Science-society dialogue and its trade-offs

Keynote at the ScienceComm '23 in Bern, Switzerland, 2 November 2023.

Slides Video recording
Populist attitudes towards science and how they relate to media use and communication behaviour: Global survey evidence from the TISP Many Labs project

Talk at the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab (CSDMLab) of the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge, 18 October 2023.

Populist attitudes towards science across the world: Global survey evidence on communicative antecedents and correlates.

School of Psychology of the University of Kent, 19 July 2023.

Communicating climate change in digital spaces: How sceptical views of science and knowledge overconfidence challenge science communication on social media

Oxford Internet Institute (OII) of the University of Oxford, 22 June 2023.

Video recording
Populism scholarship – where are we going, where should we be going, how can we get there?

Symposium “Populism, Polarization, Propaganda in Times of Crisis” at the University of Zurich, 18 October 2022.

Slides
Wer braucht schon die Experten? Wissenschaft in Zeiten von Populismus, Falschinformationen und Verschwörungstheorien

Rämibühl Realgymnasium Zürich, 3 October 2022.

Slides
Trust in science and science-related populism across the world: Implications for science communication

Health and Risk Communication Center at the Michigan State University, 9 May 2022 — with Viktoria Cologna.

Slides
Trust in science and science-related populism: Implications for the role of science in politics and society

Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto, 25 April 2022 — with Viktoria Cologna.

Slides
Was denkt die Schweiz über die Rolle der Wissenschaft in der Corona-Pandemie? Forschungsbefunde zu öffentlicher Wahrnehmung von Wissenschaft in Krisenzeiten

Input talk at panel discussion with PD Dr. Christian Althaus at the Paulus Academy Zurich, 28 April 2021.

Slides
Social Media im Dialog von Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft: Neue Chancen und hohe Erwartungen

Social Media Webinar 2020 of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT), 29 October 2020.

Slides
The “replication crisis” in the public eye: Germans’ awareness and perceptions of the (ir)reproducibility of scientific research

ReproducibiliTea Journal Club of the Center for Reproducible Science (CRS) at the University of Zurich, 1 October 2020.

Slides

Teaching

Comparing science communication across countries: Secondary analyses of population surveys
2024 — BA level, 1-semester research seminar, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Reception and effects of digital science communication
2024 — MA level, lecture, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Hate speech in digital media
2023 — MA level, 1-semester research seminar, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Science communicators’ views of public criticism of science
2022-2023 — BA level, 2-semester research seminar, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Media use and public opinion during the COVID-19 pandemic
2021-2022 — BA level, 2-semester research seminar, University of Zurich, Switzerland
What does the public think about science? Secondary analyses of population surveys
2020-2021 — BA level, 2-semester research seminar, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Science communication and populism
2019-2020 — BA level, 2-semester research seminar, University of Zurich, Switzerland
The relationship between science and journalism in times of alternative facts and fake science
2019 — BA level, seminar, University of Zurich, Switzerland