Using infographics to improve trust in science: a randomized pilot test

Abstract

This study describes the iterative process of selecting an infographic for use in a large, randomized trial related to trust in science, COVID-19 misinformation, and behavioral intentions for non-pharmaceutical prevenive behaviors. Five separate concepts were developed based on underlying subcomponents of ‘trust in science and scientists’ and were turned into infographics by media experts and digital artists. Study participants (n = 100) were recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and randomized to five different arms. Each arm viewed a different infographic and provided both quantitative (narrative believability scale and trust in science and scientists inventory) and qualitative data to assist the research team in identifying the infographic most likely to be successful in a larger study.