The role of epistemic beliefs in predicting citizen interest and engagement with science and technology

ABSTRACT Epistemic beliefs – one’s beliefs about the nature of knowledge – have been recognized as important predictors of learning outcomes. This study focuses on the role of epistemic beliefs in predicting citizen engagement with science and technology. In accordance with theories of learning and domain knowledge acquisition, the findings highlight the potential importance of epistemic beliefs in motivating individuals to be interested in and to consume informative media content related to science and technology. The analyses confirm that certain cognitive dispositions and epistemic beliefs substantially increase the ability to explain variation in citizens’ interest in science and technology and consumption of related news content. If the relationships we observe represent causal effects, enhancing epistemic motivations might be an effective strategy in achieving science communication’s goal of cultivating interest and promoting citizen engagement with science and technology.