Philipp Schmid

Discipline : Health Communication

Email : philipp.schmid@ru.nl

Organisation: Radboud Universiteit

Your work (vaccine-related): I am an assistant professor of health communication with a specific focus on misinformation research. I aim to analyse the impact of messages of science denialism on individuals’ health decision-making and to design interventions to reduce their persuasive influence.

Science denialism is an approach that has the ultimate goal of rejecting a proposition on which a scientific consensus exists. In the age of mass media, science denialism has multiplied its reach and availability, threatening the acceptance and lifesaving use of health treatments and prevention behavior – e.g. HIV treatments or vaccines. Deniers use different techniques, such as conspiracy theories or false logic, to promote their messages of science denial.

To understand the impact of messages of science denialism on individuals’ health decisions, I apply an empirical judgement and decision-making perspective. In addition, I use literature from the fields of debunking, inoculation and rebuttal to design and test promising interventions. My aim is to generate basic research findings applicable to recommendations and guidelines for health authorities.

Personal web pages: www.philippschmid.org