Doctoral Dissertation Research in DRMS: Investigating the Role of Identities and Opinion Leadership on Risk Information Seeking and Sharing about Polarizing Issues

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Identities, specifically opinion leadership, may play an important role in motivating risk information seeking and sharing about polarizing issues. This case study involves in-depth interviews with opinion leaders representing various perspectives on proposed natural gas drilling in New York State's Marcellus Shale. The work takes place in three upstate New York counties where gas drilling may occur. The focus is on how people negotiate a potentially complex information situation -- one that consists of myriad messages about risks to self, others, and the environment -- and on why people share information. The findings have implications for professional communicators who work with topics that have potentially polarizing social or public policy implications, and for scientists whose work may become the center of a polarizing public debate. This research identifies appeals that encourage people to gather, act on, and share information about contentious issues such as natural gas drilling, with an eye toward engaging with a variety of messages in making an informed decision and with implications for public engagement and participation.