**Communication Strategies for Meeting the Information Needs of Science
and Energy Policy Leaders**

# 

**Damon Benedict**

**Senior Advisor for Strategy and Planning**

**Office of Public Affairs**

**National Energy Technology Laboratory**

**U.S. Department of Energy**

**Morgantown, WV 26507**

**Jon D. Miller**

**Professor and Director**

**Center for Biomedical Communication**

**Feinberg School of Medicine**

**Northwestern University**

**Chicago, Illinois 60611**

**A paper presented to the annual meeting of the**

**American Association for the Advancement of Science,**

**Denver, Colorado**

**February 18, 2003**

**Communication Strategies for Meeting the Information Needs of Science
and Energy Policy Leaders**

# 

# 

Although policy leaders are among the best informed participants in the
specialized political system of the last 50 years, the preceding
analyses of science policy leaders and energy policy leaders have found
substantial unmet information needs. Given the expanding scope of the
science and energy policy agendas and the extraordinary growth in the
science and technology that underlie these fields, the task of
maintaining a current awareness of the major policy issues and the
scientific and technical information needed to assess and process those
issues is a daunting challenge.

The purpose of this paper is to utilize the results from the 2002
Science and Energy Policy Leadership Study to look into the processes
and sources that leaders use to acquire timely information, the trust
they place in various sources, and the challenges and opportunities
associated with effectively communicating to this select audience. I
will also look at the communication challenges and opportunities from
the perspective of a national laboratory.

## INFORMATION SEEKING AND ACQUISITION BEHAVIORS

Policy leaders are voracious consumers of information. Nearly 80 percent
of policy leaders read a newspaper everyday and an additional 15 percent
read a newspaper most days (see Table 1). Ninety-two percent of science
policy leaders and 85 percent of energy policy leaders reported that
they read one or more magazines regularly to obtain science information.
Sixty percent of science policy leaders reported reading one or more
books relevant to science policy during the last year, and half of
energy

**Table 1: Use of Selected Information Sources, 2002.**

+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
|                                        | Science      | Energy       |
|                                        | Policy       | Policy       |
|                                        |              |              |
|                                        | Leaders      | Leaders      |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Reads newspaper: Everyday              | 77%          | 77%          |
|                                        |              |              |
| Most days                              | 15           | 15           |
|                                        |              |              |
| 2 or 3 days each week                  | 2            | 4            |
|                                        |              |              |
| less than twice a week                 | 6            | 4            |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Reads one or more magazines for        | 92           | 85           |
| science information                    |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Reads one or more books for science    | 60           | 49           |
| information                            |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Uses the Internet to find information  | 88           | 86           |
| about science or energy issues         |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Number of leaders                      | 333          | 302          |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+

policy leaders indicated that they read one or more magazines regularly
to obtain science or energy information.

The high rate of information acquisition and consumption is not new.
Miller's earlier studies of science policy leaders found high levels of
newspaper, magazine, journal, and report reading (Miller, 1985, 1988;
Miller and Prewitt, 1982). What is new is the method by which policy
leaders acquire new information, especially the heavy use of the
Internet. More than 85 percent of all leaders said that the use the
Internet to acquire information about science policy or energy policy
topics.

By any measure, science and energy policy leaders are well connected
electronically. Virtually all science and energy policy leaders reported
using an office computer for e-mail and Internet searching (see Table
2). Three out of four science and energy policy leaders carry a notebook
computer when traveling, and approximately 60 percent of policy leaders
reported that they use their notebook computer for email and Internet
connections while traveling. More than 90 percent of policy leaders
indicate that they use a home computer for work purposes, and
approximately 60 percent indicated that their home computer was
connected to a high speed line. More than 85 percent of policy leaders
said that they search for scientific and technical information on the
Internet, using their work, home, or travel computers.

**Table 2: Use of Electronic Communication Resources, 2002.**

+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
|                                        | **Science    | **Energy     |
|                                        | Policy**     | Policy**     |
|                                        |              |              |
|                                        | **Leaders**  | **Leaders**  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Uses work (office) computer regularly  | 97%          | 99%          |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Uses office computer for e-mail        | 93           | 96           |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Uses office computer to search         | 92           | 96           |
| Internet                               |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Uses notebook computer when traveling  | 72           | 77           |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Uses notebook computer for e-mail when | 61           | 70           |
| traveling                              |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Uses notebook computer for Internet    | 57           | 64           |
| when traveling                         |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Uses home computer for work purposes   | 91           | 93           |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Has high-speed line for home computer  | 63           | 62           |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Uses a computer to search for          | 88           | 86           |
| scientific and technical information   |              |              |
| on the Internet                        |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| **Mean score on Index of Electronic    | **7.0**      | **7.4**      |
| Access**                               | ~(.12)~      | ~(.10)~      |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Number of leaders                      | 333          | 302          |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| ( ) = standard error of the mean       |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+

A summary Index of Electronic Access was created, giving one point for
each of the nine possible electronic connections shown in Table 2. The
mean score on this Index was 7.0 for science policy leaders and 7.4 for
energy policy leaders, and this difference is not statistically
significant at the .05 level (see Table 2). It is important to recognize
that the 1981, 1984, and 1986 studies did not ask about electronic
access or Internet usage because they were just emerging and were
largely limited to the transfer of data and some online computing.
During the 16 years since the 1986 study, the electronic communication
revolution has occurred and access to and use of electronic
communication is now almost universal among policy leaders. The
pervasive use of electronic communication technologies by science and
energy policy leaders in 2002 is a reflection of their awareness of the
power of these new technologies and their association with institutions
(universities, corporations, and laboratories) that were among the early
adopters of electronic communication technologies.

One approach to understanding information acquisition patterns is to ask
about recent information sources used in regard to a specific topic or
issue. In the 2002 National Science and Energy Policy Leadership Study,
each leader was asked about the two major information sources that he or
she had used in the year to obtain information about global warming or
climate change. A comparison of the responses of science policy leaders
and energy policy leaders showed substantial similarity, but some
differences (see Table 3). Science policy leaders were most likely to
report obtaining global warming information from professional journals
(44%), the Internet (43%), newspapers (24%), and colleagues

**Table 3: Major Sources of Information about Global Warming or Climate
Change, 2002.**

+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
|                                        | **Science    | **Energy     |
|                                        | Policy**     | Policy**     |
|                                        |              |              |
|                                        | **Leaders**  | **Leaders**  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Professional journals                  | 44%          | 24%          |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Internet and online sources            | 43           | 46           |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Newspapers                             | 24           | 21           |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Colleagues, personal conversations     | 20           | 28           |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Magazines (other than professional     | 16           | 16           |
| journals)                              |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Books and reports                      | 14           | 20           |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Non-governmental organizations         | 5            | 9            |
| (including firms)                      |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Libraries                              | 4            | 3            |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Television (including news and         | 3            | 3            |
| documentaries)                         |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Radio (including NPR)                  | 2            | 1            |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Government agencies (including         | 2            | 6            |
| national laboratories)                 |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Number of leaders                      | 333          | 302          |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+

(20%). Energy policy leaders were most likely to recall getting global
warming information from the Internet (46%), colleagues (28%),
professional journals (24%), and books and reports (20%). Interestingly,
fewer than one in ten science policy leaders and energy policy leaders
reported that they used government agencies, non-governmental
associations and societies, libraries, television, or radio as a major
source of information about global warming.

These responses suggest that some traditional information sources remain
very important -- journals, colleagues, newspapers, books, and reports
-- but that the Internet has become a major information source for
science and energy policy leaders. Approximately 45 percent of the
combined groups used the Internet as a major source of information about
global warming during the year preceding the 2002 study interview.

The impact of the Internet can be seen even more clearly in the report
of policy leaders concerning the source or sources to which they would
turn for additional information about global warming or climate change.
Half of science policy and energy policy leaders indicated that they
would use the Internet if they wanted to get additional information
about global warming or climate change within the next month (see Table
4). Colleagues and professional journals were the second most mentioned
sources for additional information, but it should be noted that many of
the leaders indicated that they would

Table 4: Primary Source for Additional Information about Global Warming
or Climate Change, 2002.

+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
|                                        | **Science    | **Energy     |
|                                        | Policy**     | Policy**     |
|                                        |              |              |
|                                        | **Leaders**  | **Leaders**  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Internet and online sources            | 49%          | 52%          |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Colleagues, personal conversations     | 15           | 19           |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Professional journals                  | 14           | 7            |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Books and reports                      | 6            | 5            |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Libraries                              | 3            | 1            |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Government agencies (including         | 2            | 3            |
| national laboratories)                 |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Non-governmental organizations         | 2            | 3            |
| (including firms)                      |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Newspapers                             | 1            | 2            |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Magazines (other than professional     | 1            | 1            |
| journals)                              |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Television (including news and         | 0            | 0            |
| documentaries)                         |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Radio (including NPR)                  | 0            | 0            |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Number of leaders                      | 333          | 302          |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+

use the Internet to search for journal articles, download articles, or
visit the Web sites of trusted groups and agencies. Significantly
smaller numbers of leaders indicated that they would turn to government
agencies, non-governmental associations or societies, newspapers,
magazines, television, or radio. Far fewer leaders mentioned using
books, reports, or libraries for additional information in the future
than mentioned having used them in the last year, although a fair
reading of the verbatim responses shows that some of these traditional
resources would have been consulted online.

Nearly half of science policy leaders and 42 percent of energy policy
leaders reported that they contacted a national laboratory during the
preceding year to obtain information on a scientific or energy policy
matter (see Table 5). Among those leaders who reported one or more
contacts with a national laboratory, the mean number of contacts was
approximately 10 per year. This relatively frequent level of
communication suggests that many leaders find national laboratories to
be a useful source of information. In the 1986 National Science Policy
Leadership Study, science policy leaders were asked the same question,
but with a two-year reference period. In 1986, 58 percent of science
policy leaders reported that they had contacted a national laboratory
for scientific or technical information during the preceding two years
(Miller, 1988). Given the difference in the reference periods for the
two questions, it is not possible to make a direct comparison, but if we
assume that most of the science policy leaders who contacted a national
laboratory for information in one year would have also made a similar
inquiry in a second year, then we may conclude that the contacting rate
found in the 2002 study is roughly comparable to the level of national
laboratory contacting in 1986.

**Table 5: Contact with National Laboratories for Science or Energy
Information, 2002.**

+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
|                                        | **Science    | **Energy     |
|                                        | Policy**     | Policy**     |
|                                        |              |              |
|                                        | **Leaders**  | **Leaders**  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Contacted a national laboratory in the | 49%          | 42%          |
| last year to obtain information on a   |              |              |
| scientific or technical issue.         |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Mean number of contacts, by            | 10.0         | 10.2         |
| individuals who made one or more       | ~(1.05)~     | ~(1.27)~     |
| contacts to obtain information.        |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Median number of contacts by           | 5.0          | 5.0          |
| individual who made one or more        |              |              |
| contacts to obtain information         |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Number of leaders                      | 333          | 302          |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| ( ) = standard error of the mean       |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+

##  

## ASSESSMENT OF SELECTED INFORMATION SOURCES

Policy leaders are surrounded by information from a variety of sources.
Virtually all policy leaders have the resources to subscribe to more
newspapers and magazines than they can read, to buy more books than they
can find time to read, and are sufficiently wired to have wide access to
the full resources of the Internet. In this information rich
environment, leaders must select the information that they will utilize,
and the literature suggests that this choice will reflect a combination
of perceived usefulness and trustworthiness.

To test this general model, the 2002 National Science and Energy Policy
Leadership Studies asked leaders to assess both the utility and the
trustworthiness of major information sources. The results show that
policy leaders are discriminating consumers, rating some sources high in
usefulness and trust and others much lower.

Science and energy policy leaders rated magazines and the Internet as
the most useful sources for "keeping up with" science and energy issues
(see Table 6). On a zero to 10 scale, science policy leaders gave the
Internet at mean rating of 7.4 and energy policy leaders gave it a mean
rating of 7.5. On the same scale, science policy readers gave the
specific magazines that they read a mean rating of 7.4 while energy
policy leaders gave the magazines they read a mean score of 6.8.
Newspapers were rates as significantly less useful, with a mean rating
of 4.8 by science policy leaders and 4.9 by energy policy leaders. It is
interesting to note that there is not much "grade inflation" among
policy leaders in regard to the usefulness of information.

**Table 6: Usefulness of Selected Science Information Sources, 2002.**

+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Usefulness for keeping up with science | **Science    | **Energy     |
| or energy                              | Policy**     | Policy**     |
|                                        |              |              |
|                                        | **Leaders**  | **Leaders**  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Newspaper                              | 4.8 ~(.14)~  | 4.9 ~(.14)~  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Magazine                               | 7.4 ~(.13)~  | 6.8 ~(.15)~  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Book                                   | 6.1 ~(.18)~  | 5.7 ~(.21)~  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Internet                               | 7.4 ~(.14)~  | 7.5 ~(.12)~  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Number of leaders                      | 333          | 302          |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| ( ) = standard error of the mean       |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+

Each leader included in the 2002 study was asked to assess the level of
confidence they would have in science or energy information from a set
of major information sources. The results again display a high degree of
discrimination.

Both leadership groups expressed the highest level of confidence in a
report from the National Academy of Sciences (or presumably a report
from the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, or
the National Research Council). On a zero to 10 scale, science policy
leaders gave a report from the NAS a mean score of 8.6 and energy policy
leaders awarded a mean score of 8.1 (see Table 7). An article in
*Science* or *Nature* was the second most trusted source by both
leadership groups. A report from a national laboratory was the third
most trusted information source, with a mean score of 7.4 from science
policy leaders and 7.3 from energy policy leaders. The three most
trusted sources are all characterized by a high level of expertise and a
tradition of independence from short-term partisan causes.

**Table 7: Confidence in Selected Science Information Sources, 2002.**

+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
|                                        | **Science    | **Energy     |
|                                        | Policy**     | Policy**     |
|                                        |              |              |
|                                        | **Leaders**  | **Leaders**  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| A report from the National Academy of  | 8.6 ~(.07)~  | 8.1 ~(.09)~  |
| Sciences                               |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| An article in *Science* or *Nature*    | 8.3~(.07)~   | 7.9 ~(.09)~  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| A report from a national laboratory    | 7.4 ~(.09)~  | 7.3 ~(.09)~  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| An episode of the television show      | 6.5 ~(.11)~  | 6.4 ~(.10)~  |
| *Nova*                                 |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| A story in the *New York Times*        | 6.2 ~(.12)~  | 6.1 ~(.12)~  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| A report from the Environmental        | 6.2 ~(.12)~  | 6.2 ~(.12)~  |
| Protection Agency                      |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| A report from the Federal Department   | 6.2 ~(.11)~  | 6.3 ~(.11)~  |
| of Energy                              |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| A story in the *Wall Street Journal*   | 5.9 ~(.11)~  | 6.3 ~(.10)~  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| A report from a Congressional          | 5.9 ~(.11)~  | 5.8 ~(.11)~  |
| committee on science and technology    |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| A story in *Time* or *Newsweek*        | 4.7 ~(.12)~  | 5.0 ~(.13)~  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| A report from the Sierra Club          | 4.5 ~(.13)~  | 4.3 ~(.14)~  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| A story on CNN                         | 4.2 ~(.11)~  | 4.5 ~(.11)~  |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| A story on a network television news   | 3.3 ~(.11)~  | 3.4 ~(.11)~  |
| show                                   |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| Number of leaders                      | 333          | 302          |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+
| ( ) = standard error of the mean       |              |              |
+----------------------------------------+--------------+--------------+

Policy leaders reported a moderately high level of confidence in *Nova*,
the *New York Times*, an EPA report, a DOE report, the *Wall Street
Journal*, and a report from a Congressional committee on science and
technology, with mean scores in the 5.8 to 6.6 range. The level of
confidence implied by these rating suggest that all of these sources are
seem as being expert and reliable, but slightly less so that the top
three sources.

Science and energy policy leaders express markedly less confidence in
information from the mass media and from advocacy groups. Both policy
leadership groups expressed lower levels of confidence in information
from a story in *Time* or *Newsweek*, a story on CNN, or a report from
the Sierra Club, with mean rating ranging from 4.2 to 5.0.
Interestingly, both leadership groups expressed the lowest level of
confidence in information from a network television news show, with a
mean rating of 3.3 by science policy leaders and 3.4 by energy policy
leaders. This is especially ironic since 90 seconds on the evening news
as long been the cherished dream of information officers in government
and industry alike.

Looking across the full set of ratings, it is clear that policy leaders
do not treat all information equally, but make major distinctions in the
usefulness of information and the trustworthiness of its source. These
results suggest that many information officers and communications
specialists may have over-estimated the value of broadcast media and
under-estimated the impact of institutional expertise in communicating
to policy leaders.

## 

## IMPLICATIONS FOR COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES

For public relations and public affairs practitioners, this research and
the resulting data hold a number of implications that can provide the
insights necessary to develop an efficient and effective program. This
study provides a foundational structure that differentiates policy
leaders as a communications audience apart from decision-makers and
attentive, interested, and residual publics. It describes the
interaction among these groups in the policy development process, making
it clear that, for many of our organizations, energy and science policy
leaders are a strategic, active audience with specialized information
needs. 

Many of the data raise new questions that will require refinement of the
research or warrant further investigation. But for the practitioner who
must operate in a world of constrained resources, it provides the
critical insights we seek to develop the "three to five high
benefit/cost strategies" that will achieve organization goals. These
critical few policy leader-related insights can be found in the data
presented.

First, policy leaders have a well-defined "trust and credibility
structure" for selecting and evaluating information. They continue to
seek out, rely on, and place a high level of trust in traditional
sources of information. They continue to believe that the best
information comes from scholars, scientists, and industrial
practitioners, particularly those whom the leader regards as a colleague
or with whom the leader has had some professional interaction. For the
communication practitioner, this would indicate that the communications
program should include a relationship development component.

Policy leaders expressed a high level of trust in information delivered
through refereed journals, respected trade journals, reports from the
National Academies, and reports from National Laboratories. Each of
these sources represents a communications tool that is considered
relatively independent from short-term causes, and subjects its content
to rigorous review. For the communications practitioner, development of
content able to stand up to such review, and the inclusion in, links to,
and references by and to these tools should be a program component.

Policy leaders place little trust or credibility in popular mass media.
Although there is some indication that major national media are a minor
source of information, policy leaders view it as playing more of an
"agenda setting" role for policy issues. These media may function as a
starting point for leaders, who then seek out additional information
from their traditional sources. For the communications practitioner,
this indicates that a media-centric program -- newspaper, television,
and radio -- is not particularly effective in providing information to
policy leaders. Resources committed to such a component may be best
directed elsewhere.

Second, there is an undeniable shift to online resources for information
acquisition. Although policy leaders continue to attribute trust and
credibility to information from traditional sources, the channels for
acquisition and delivery have changed dramatically in recent years.
Today, leaders are overwhelmingly wired, and use that capability to
acquire information from trusted sources. For the communications
practitioner, this indicates that organizational websites should
prominently feature content designed for policy leaders. Many
institutional websites have the look and feel of a popular magazine and
feature content reflecting mass media, marketing, or advocacy objective
-- all attributes that policy leaders appear to distrust.

A good deal of the analysis in this and the preceding papers is
preliminary. Some additional responses have been collected during the
two weeks prior to this meeting and a few some responses will be
obtained during the remaining days of February. Undoubtedly, more
rigorous statistical techniques will be applied to the data in search of
a fuller understanding of leadership information acquisition and
communication. We look forward to a series of publications in
professional journals and special reports for our colleagues in
communication roles. We hope that these results will stimulate you to
think about the specific context of your own work and of your
institution's mission and to use any insights that you find to be
relevant to improve your communication efforts.

## REFERENCES

Miller, J.D. 1985. The Attitudes of Religious, Environmental, and
Science Policy Leaders Toward Biotechnology**.** *Recombinant DNA
Technical Bulletin*, 8:4:141‑164.

Miller, J.D. 1988. The Attitudes of Science Policy, Environmental, and
Utility Leaders on U.S. Energy Issues and Fusion. *Journal of Fusion
Energy* 7:1:5-23.

Miller, J.D. & Prewitt, K. 1982. *A National Survey of the
Non‑governmental Leadership of American Science and Technology*. A
Report to the National Science Foundation. DeKalb, IL: Northern Illinois
University, Public Opinion Laboratory.