Citizen science’s transformative impact on science, citizen empowerment and socio-political processes
Creators: name: Gönner, Julia Von
name: Herrmann, Thora M.
name: Bruckermann, Till
name: Eichinger, Michael
name: Hecker, Susanne
name: Klan, Friederike
name: Lorke, Julia
name: Richter, Anett
name: Sturm, Ulrike
name: Voigt-Heucke, Silke
name: Brink, Wiebke
name: Liedtke, Christin
name: Premke-Kraus, Matthias
name: Altmann, Carolin
name: Bauhus, Wilhelm
name: Bengtsson, Luiza
name: Büermann, Andrea
name: Dietrich, Peter
name: Dörler, Daniel
name: Eich-Brod, Regina
name: Ferschinger, Laura
name: Freyberg, Linda
name: Grützner, Agnes
name: Hammel, Gertrud
name: Heigl, Florian
name: Heyen, Nils B.
name: Hölker, Franz
name: Johannsen, Carolin
name: Kluß, Thorsten
name: Kluttig, Thekla
name: Knobloch, Jörn
name: Munke, Martin
name: Mortega, Kim
name: Pathe, Carsten
name: Soßdorf, Anna
name: Stämpfli, Tiina
name: Thiel, Christian
name: Tönsmann, Susanne
name: Valentin, Anke
name: Wagenknecht, Katherin
name: Wegener, Robert
name: Woll, Silvia
name: Bonn, Aletta
Publisher: name: Singapore : Springer Singapore
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Data quality
subject: Participatory research
subject: Political uptake
subject: Recognition
subject: Research data management
subject: Social learning
subject: Dewey Decimal Classification::700 | Künste, Bildende Kunst allgemein::710 | Landschaftsgestaltung, Raumplanung

description: Citizen science (CS) can foster transformative impact for science, citizen empowerment and socio-political processes. To unleash this impact, a clearer understanding of its current status and challenges for its development is needed. Using quantitative indicators developed in a collaborative stakeholder process, our study provides a comprehensive overview of the current status of CS in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Our online survey with 340 responses focused on CS impact through (1) scientific practices, (2) participant learning and empowerment, and (3) socio-political processes. With regard to scientific impact, we found that data quality control is an established component of CS practice, while publication of CS data and results has not yet been achieved by all project coordinators (55%). Key benefits for citizen scientists were the experience of collective impact (“making a difference together with others”) as well as gaining new knowledge. For the citizen scientists’ learning outcomes, different forms of social learning, such as systematic feedback or personal mentoring, were essential. While the majority of respondents attributed an important value to CS for decision-making, only few were confident that CS data were indeed utilized as evidence by decision-makers. Based on these results, we recommend (1) that project coordinators and researchers strengthen scientific impact by fostering data management and publications, (2) that project coordinators and citizen scientists enhance participant impact by promoting social learning opportunities and (3) that project initiators and CS networks foster socio-political impact through early engagement with decision-makers and alignment with ongoing policy processes. In this way, CS can evolve its transformative impact.