Science and politics in the polio vaccination debate on Facebook: A mixed-methods approach to public engagement in a science-based dialogue

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Abstract

This study examines the ways in which the public discusses and debates the scientific issue of vaccinations in the online social media environment of Facebook. We apply a mixed-methods approach, where a qualitative analysis is combined with a quantitative analysis of the characteristics of the debate on polio vaccinations in a Facebook group dedicated to parental and professional dialogue. The qualitative analysis suggested that dialogue became more political than scientific overall, yet the quantitative analysis showed that the discussants did not abandon the scientific nature of the issue at hand.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1500
JournalJournal of Microbiology and Biology Education
Volume19
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2019

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Education
  • General Immunology and Microbiology
  • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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