Mass media, the negotiation of meaning, and social transformations of risk: Public opinion dynamics surrounding the establishment of the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility

Research on public understanding of scientific and technological risk has focused primarily on differentiating expert versus lay definitions of risk and secondarily on the communication processes that contribute to those differences. This dissertation integrates concepts and models of communication theory to gain a better understanding of the complex social processes that give rise to definitions of risk among citizens and within public discourse. In particular, I examine different segments of the "public" to see how evaluations of science and technology emerge through the use of mass media and through engagement in interpersonal discussions with other people. These segments correspond in separate analyses to (1) community of residence, (2) socioeconomic status, (3) support or opposition to a proposed biological research facility, and (4) an indicator of opinion leadership known as personality strength.;The roles of these characteristics are investigated using primary data collected as part of a large research project focusing on public opinion of the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF). Using data from public opinion surveys carried out among residents living nearby six proposed locations for the facility, I employ multivariate statistical procedures to untangle the complex web of factors that contribute to the development of risk and benefit perceptions among individuals who would reside close to the facility. These public opinion data are complemented by in-depth qualitative interview conducted with key players in these communities, as well as the systematic collection of news coverage about the facility and government documents concerning the site-selection process.;Several contributions to policymaking and social theory emerge from these analyses. These include the potential errors in policymaking that can arise from unsystematic collection of public views and the failings of mass media in transmitting vital information to all segments of the public. In addition, the ways in which people exchange information with one another about scientific and technological issues contributes to how they come to understand controversial issues in their communities. Several recommendations are put forth to improve the effectiveness of policymaking through better integration of social science methodology and theory in the development of future public engagement exercises.