John Kerr

We're hiring: Kaimanaaki Pāpāho | Media Advisor role - Science Media Centre The Science Media Centre (SMC) is looking for a media advisor to join our dedicated team working to improve the reach, relevance and accuracy of news media reporting on science and related topics in Aotearoa...

Want to work at the interface of science and journalism - helping make complex topics accessible to the public of Aotearoa New Zealand? Then check out our new job opening here: www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2026/01/27/w...

Scientists who use AI published 3X more papers, received 5X times more citations, and reached leadership roles faster than their AI-free peers.

But science as a whole is paying the price. AI-driven work circles the same crowded problems, are leads to a less interconnected scientific literature

Abstract Objective Anti-science sentiment has the potential to become a major societal problem, and research has started considering the psychological and ideological antecedents of science rejection of novel science and technologies. Precision Health (e.g. human genetic mapping, health data digitalisation and access, wearable devices and digital apps) aims to pre-empt disease onset through the development of proactive, personalised solutions to health problems. Methods and Measures In a preregistered study using a national sample of adult Australians (N = 997) we predicted attitudes to 10 Precision Health science areas from socio-demographic and psychological variables. Results On average Australians were positive towards precision health technologies (Ms = 5.03–5.66, 7-point scale). Increased institutional trust in health, science, and medicine (B = 0.49, SE = 0.04) and being older (B = 0.004, SE = 0.002) significantly predicted positive attitudes. Institutional trust in governments, conspiracy belief, social dominance orientation, right-wing authoritarianism, tertiary-education level, importance of religion/spirituality and political ideology did not. Conclusion The majority of Australians were favourable towards Precision Health, with institutional trust playing a key role in positive attitudes. We note the importance of understanding the role of social and ideological antecedents of science opposition now, and going forward with the development of technologies.

Who is positive about precision health technologies?
Demographic and psychological factors associated with
science opposition
Golley, @scicomguy.bsky.social, Walshe, & I examine the psychological / ideological antecedents of attitudes to precision health
see here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Abstract Research seeking to explain why people believe conspira- cies has largely focused on intrapsychic factors, but there is growing research examining structural-level elements of dis- advantage. The socio-functional model of conspiracy belief (Adam-Troian et al., 2023, British Journal of Social Psycholog y, 62, 136) posits that subjective feelings of permanent inse- curity arising from objective material strain (i.e., precarity) cause conspiracy belief directly or indirectly through insti- tutional distrust. Across three preregistered studies using observational longitudinal designs over 3 (n = 637) and 11 months (n = 832), and a between-group experimental de- sign (n = 285), we use various methods to estimate causal ef- fects for this proposition during the current cost-of-living crisis. In Studies 1 and 2 using random intercept cross- lagged panel models, we find no evidence that increases in precarity temporally precede increases in conspiracy belief (or vice versa) but find stable between-persons effects over time. In Study 3, despite successfully manipulating precarity using a self-imagine paradigm, we find no direct or indirect effect on conspiracy belief through decreased government trust. We discuss the importance of using methods that per- mit credible causal inferences and key directions for future studies investigating the socio-functional model.

Testing the socio-functional model: Does precarity
cause conspiracy belief?
TLDR; probably not
huge thx: Antipodean Misinformation and Conspiracies Club @matthewmatix.bsky.social @lingtax.bsky.social @scicomguy.bsky.social @srhastraea.bsky.social @eddieclarke.bsky.social & students osf.io/nq3y7/

Awesome news @scicomguy.bsky.social !!!

2025: Outstanding scholars awarded Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowships The Royal Society Te Apārangi has selected 12 mid-career researchers to receive Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowships in 2025.

What drives people's views on public health measures? I’ll be digging into this thanks to a Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowship from the Royal Society Te Apārangi. Huge thanks to everyone who has backed me on this journey. I’m excited for what comes next www.royalsociety.org.nz/news/2025-ma...

Common left-right political scale masks anti-establishment views at the center A new study in Political Psychology challenges the idea that political centrists are uniformly moderate. The findings suggest the scale’s midpoint hides a diverse group of individuals, including those with strong anti-establishment and populist beliefs.

Common left-right political scale masks anti-establishment views at the center

Rate your score on Factor Fexcectorn.

Well done, Scientific Reports. pubpeer.com/publications...

Marsden Fund Awards 2025 Published on 6 Whiringa-ā-rangi November 2025 You can download an Excel spreadsheet of these results here: 2025-Marsden Fund Supplement The definitions of the 8 Marsden Fund panels can be found here...

@srhastraea.bsky.social is a humble & busy guy so the aussie will announce his successful #marsden

Unpacking how we choose who to trust for knowledge in complex, contentious issues with the potential for misinformation

@scicomguy.bsky.social @matthewmatix.bsky.social
@rachelprozac.bsky.social

Extremism at the center: Uncovering political diversity among midpoint responders on the left–right self‐placement item The midpoint of the left-right self-placement item is hiding important political diversity, and may be conflating moderate responders with populists and other political sub-groups. Survey researchers...

Extremely pleased to see this work published! Thank you so much to my excellent collaborators @fmsmallfield.bsky.social @scicomguy.bsky.social @srhastraea.bsky.social @lingtax.bsky.social @mdmarques.com @matthewmatix.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Published today: One of the biggest #science #communication studies to date. We asked 71,922 people in 68 countries how they #engage with information about #science and combined the data with several country-level factors: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... #OpenAccess

New research challenges the idea of a ‘vicious cycle’ between psychological distress and conspiracy beliefs One prominent theory says conspiracy beliefs are triggered by elevated distress. But a new study finds limited evidence to support this claim.

tldr: we found very limited evidence for distress subsequently increasing belief in conspiracy theories using a longitudinal survey sampling participants 7 times over ~6 months - and no evidence for belief in conspiracy theories worsening distress over time

Great news! Congrats to you both!

No access ⛔

New report documents the difficulty for researchers to get access to social media data. The access challenge has multiple effects, such as turning away from studying some platforms, redesigning studies, and fears of violating terms of service.

www.digmin.dk/Media/638923...

Not disagreeing, but genuinely ignorant here -- a) what is the problem with 'sovereign citizen' as a broad label, and b) what is the best language to describe people with these kinds of beliefs, it feels relevant to the reporting on this story.

This is a nice write-up of our recent paper by PsyPost, with clear info about limitations and small effect sizes.

I would like to clarify that I am not in fact the person in the photo, though

doi.org/10.1002/ejsp...

Thanks for your interest in the article, and I'm sorry it didn't address the points that you wanted it to. The underlying article was about comparing *broad strategic approaches* among island nations.

'A tendency to feel victimized predicts believing in conspiracies.'

That’s the TL;DR from @marlephie.bsky.social’s great summary of new research below. Backed by a huge amount of work and international data. Grateful to have been part of this excellent study. 👍

Patient autonomy in decision-making is more than individual belief: Understanding why health misinformation and conspiracy theories are so appealing

haven't posted in a while, so here goes.
recently had the opportunity to peer-review a thoughtful piece about autonomy and health-misinformation and #conspiracytheories (see here: linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii...) & write a commentary on it (see below or authors.elsevier.com/a/1lPXr2dv7n...)

Conspiracies emerge in the wake of high-profile events, but you can’t debunk them with evidence because little yet exists. Does this mean LLMs can’t debunk conspiracies during ongoing events? No!

We show they can in a new working paper.

PDF: osf.io/preprints/ps...

I had a great chat with @comingupcharlie.bsky.social about why some people reject germ theory in favour of alternative views like ‘terrain theory’, and make a brief appearance in this deep dive into the NZ influencers promoting these ideas. Well worth a read. 👇

Front page frenzy: From Frankenfood to Covid-19 - NBR | The Authority since 1970 The National Business Review Online is New Zealand's authority in breaking business news and analysis.

Nice to see the work of the Science Media Centres highlighted by NBR review of Fox's book. But disagree with the reviewer on one point, NZ's @smcnz.bsky.social has in fact grown in scope and size, and is all the more important given fewer specialist reporters. www.nbr.co.nz/book-review/...

Social contract needed to deliver a 'no BS' public health agenda Government Budgets need to move beyond a financial focus toward a future-focused economic approach that prioritises the capacity and capability of the nation’s productive resources, including people, ...

“There’s no money” isn’t economics, it’s accounting. A real Budget debate asks: are we investing our limited resources in what truly matters for future generations? #NZBudget #PublicHealth @ganeshahirao.bsky.social
www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/soc...

Climate scientists are trusted globally, just not as much as other scientists – here’s why New research shows climate scientists are less trusted than other types of scientists. But there are big differences between countries and specific groups of people.

Trust is a super power. Climate scientists are trusted globally, just not as much as other scientists. Check out this excellent summary of our latest research that explores the reasons why:
theconversation.com/climate-scie...
@mason4c.bsky.social
@omidghasemi.bsky.social

Cover Image for: Risky Research: An AoIR Guide to Researcher Protection and Safety AoIR Risky Research Working Group Contributors: Alice Marwick, Dafna Kaufman, Jacob Smith, Patricia Aufderheide, Jessica Beyer, Emma L. Briant, Coppélie Cocq, Laura Dilley, Sam DiBella, Radhika Gajjala, Kamile Grusauskaite, Alex D. Ketchum, Zelly Martin, Janice Metzger, Erin McInerney, Rachel Moran, John McNutt, Suay Melisa Oezkula, Victoria O’Meara, Riccardo Nanni, Carolina Parreiras, Katy Pearce, Ryan Payne, Meredith Pruden, Christian Sandvig, Caighlan Smith, Sam Srauy, Zeerak Talat, Leonie Tanczer, Robert Tynes, Antonia Vaughan, Shenja van der Graaf, Courtney Vowles, Michele White.

We are delighted to share the publication of Risky Research: An AoIR Guide to Researcher Protection and Safety, the culmination of over two years of collaborative effort by the AoIR Risky Research Working Group.

aoir.org/riskyresearc...

Reo Māori in Russian disinformation network - Taiuru & Associates Ltd This article is about a Māori perspective of the Māori language being used in the Russian international disinformation network.

Here's a summary of what I think is in there too
www.taiuru.co.nz/reo-maori-in...

Russian disinformation sites target NZ with te reo Māori content 'Pravda' sites in New Zealand are part of a global 'hybrid war' campaign.

Unfortunately paywalled but an important piece on Russian disinformation in te reo Māori.

h/t @scicomguy.bsky.social

www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/russian-d...

Does Developing a Belief in One Conspiracy Theory Lead a Person to be More Likely to Believe in Others? The monological belief system model suggests that—for at least a subset of people—developing a belief in one conspiracy theory will cause them to be more likely to believe in others. This model has b...

It's often claimed that developing a belief in one conspiracy theory will increase the chance that someone goes on to believe other conspiracy theories... perhaps leading them down a rabbit hole of conspiracist beliefs. But does that really happen?

doi.org/10.1002/ejsp...

Does microtargeting work? The idea that people can be manipulated by political messages that are furtively tailored to their personality or other vulnerabilities has triggered much concern. But how well founded are those concerns? 1/n

🚨OpEd+data: Meta is out of step with public opinion🚨
Zuck cut moderation b/c he said people no longer want it. But he's wrong!
We polled 1k Americans and most people, including majority of Reps:
i) want content moderation
ii) don't want Community Notes w/o fact-checkers
thehill.com/opinion/tech...