Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 11-33 |
| Number of pages | 23 |
| Journal | Socio-Ecological Practice Research |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 12 Jan 2023 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2023 |
Abstract
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.
Keywords
- Data quality, Participatory research, Political uptake, Recognition, Research data management, Social learning
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Environmental Science(all)
- Nature and Landscape Conservation
- Social Sciences(all)
- Urban Studies
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In: Socio-Ecological Practice Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, 03.2023, p. 11-33.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Citizen science’s transformative impact on science, citizen empowerment and socio-political processes
AU - von Gönner, Julia
AU - Herrmann, Thora Martina
AU - Bruckermann, Till
AU - Eichinger, Michael
AU - Hecker, Susanne
AU - Klan, Friederike
AU - Lorke, Julia
AU - Richter, Anett
AU - Sturm, Ulrike
AU - Voigt-Heucke, Silke
AU - Brink, Wiebke
AU - Liedtke, Christin
AU - Premke-Kraus, Matthias
AU - Altmann, Carolin S.
AU - Bauhus, Wilhelm
AU - Bengtsson, Luiza
AU - Büermann, Andrea
AU - Dietrich, Peter
AU - Dörler, Daniel
AU - Eich-Brod, Regina
AU - Ferschinger, Laura
AU - Freyberg, Linda
AU - Grützner, Agnes
AU - Hammel, Gertrud
AU - Heigl, Florian
AU - Heyen, Nils B.
AU - Hölker, Franz
AU - Johannsen, Carolin
AU - Kluß, Thorsten
AU - Kluttig, Thekla
AU - Knobloch, Jörn
AU - Munke, Martin
AU - Mortega, Kim
AU - Pathe, Carsten
AU - Soßdorf, Anna
AU - Stämpfli, Tiina
AU - Thiel, Christian
AU - Tönsmann, Susanne
AU - Valentin, Anke
AU - Wagenknecht, Katherin
AU - Wegener, Robert
AU - Woll, Silvia
AU - Bonn, Aletta
N1 - Funding Information: Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. This work was funded by Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU, project grant 37579/01), by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, project grant 01BF1906) and by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv; DFG-FZT 118, 202548816). Additional funding was provided by the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research—UFZ. AR acknowledges support through the MonViA project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).
PY - 2023/3
Y1 - 2023/3
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Data quality
KW - Participatory research
KW - Political uptake
KW - Recognition
KW - Research data management
KW - Social learning
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146163666&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s42532-022-00136-4
DO - 10.1007/s42532-022-00136-4
M3 - Article
VL - 5
SP - 11
EP - 33
JO - Socio-Ecological Practice Research
JF - Socio-Ecological Practice Research
SN - 2524-5287
IS - 1
ER -