Satire and perceived trustworthiness in communicating about renewable energy

Yeo, S. K., Freiling, I., Jiyoung Yeon (Ph.D. student), Zhang, J. S., McKasy, M., Michael A. Cacciatore, Su, L. Y.-F., & Siskind, S. “Satire and perceived trustworthiness in communicating about renewable energy” paper to be presented at the annual conference of the International Communication Association, Gold Coast, Australia, June 2024.

Abstract: We examined the effects of satire with different levels of aggression on perceptions of trustworthiness of a scientist in an audio clip. In a three-condition between-subjects online survey experiment (N = 723), we found that respondents in the playful and aggressive humor conditions experienced similar levels of mirth; in both conditions, participants experienced more mirth compared to those in the no humor condition. Respondents in the satire conditions reported lower perceptions of trustworthiness compared to those in the no humor condition. We also found significant interactions between the experimental conditions and mirth; the negative effects of the satirical conditions relative to the no humor stimulus on perceptions of trustworthiness was mitigated by respondents' mirth--the funnier respondents found the stimulus, the less negative the effects of satire. Practically, it may be best to avoid the use of satire when communicating about geothermal energy.