Science Communication

This chapter examines the evolving landscape of science communication at a moment when declining public trust and deepening political polarization threaten the shared foundations of science and democracy. Drawing on insights from an international panel of leading practitioners and a bibliometric analysis of 3453 publications organized into 48 thematic clusters, the chapter reveals a critical mismatch: the field has extensively mapped the mechanisms of polarization and motivated reasoning, yet dramatically under-invests in the trust-building strategies practitioners identify as most effective. Trusted messengers, participatory co-creation, and multi-stakeholder coordination occupy the smallest corners of the research ecosystem. The chapter proposes a two-dimensional framework organized around audience segmentation by baseline trust levels and mechanism pathways, including relational trust transfer, epistemological literacy, affective engagement through visual and narrative techniques, and structural transparency via open science practices. The analysis underscores an urgent need to move beyond the deficit model toward sustained, dialogic, and culturally responsive approaches to rebuilding trust.