Since covid scientists more often in the news
Since the corona pandemic, the role of scientists has changed. Despite online harassment, they participate more often in public debates to combat misinformation, a recent study shows.
Scientists have stepped into the spotlight more since 2020. That is according to a study published by Economist Impact and publisher Elsevier based on survey data from more than 3,100 scientists in 111 countries, 253 of them from the Netherlands.
Globally, it is mainly medical and social scientists who publicly fight misinformation. As a result, they are also more likely to clash with online bullies. The data show that a third of European scientists and almost half of North American scientists have been bullied and sometimes even threatened online, or have seen this happen to a close colleague.
Incidentally, the researchers put their own research into perspective. Because of the low response rate (0.8%), no statements can be made about individual countries. (HOP, PvT)
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