Swansea University Research Excellence Scholarships (SURES): Fully Funded PhD Scholarship: The Importance of Trust and Social Norms for Public Health Decision Making

Funding providers: Swansea University

Subject areas: Social psychology

Project start date: 1 October 2024 (Enrolment open from mid-September)

Project description:  

This project aims to investigate two key factors that undermine compliance with public policymaking on topics such as health (e.g., vaccinations) or sustainable behaviour (e.g., speeding restrictions, low carbon zones): 1. People’s distrust in public health officials, especially those they disagree with, and 2. people’s misperceptions of social norms (i.e., whether others like them would comply or not). Research published by our team showed that people support policies less when these are proposed by leaders they dislike or distrust (Cole et al., 2022; Flores et al., 2022); and that people agree with others that protecting health is important - yet, despite such agreement, they underestimate how much others will comply with COVID-19 restrictions (Cole et al., under review). Increasing trust in leaders and correcting misperceptions about others’ opinions can reduce polarization and achieve support for public policies. We seek to answer a range of urgent research questions, including but not limited to: Does communicating transparently about health and sustainable behaviour policies reduce polarization on such topics and increase trust in leaders? How correct are people’s perceptions of what others like them do or would do? What are the consequences of misperceived social norms on one’s individual behaviour? And can we correct misperceived norms?  

The project relies on two lines of robust research, including work developed by this team and their international collaborators. First, communicating transparently about the benefits and the risks of many public policies increases long-term trust in authorities, whereas vague, reassuring talk (akin to how many political leaders address the public) decreases trust (Kerr et al., 2022; Petersen et al., 2021). Second, people misperceive what their peers think about public health policies – a phenomenon named ‘pluralistic ignorance’ (Prentice & Miller, 1993) – and, consequently, they think the world is more polarized that it actually is (Fernbach & Van Boven, 2022; Lees & Cikara, 2020, 2021).    

We are seeking to appoint a PhD student who will develop this project using methods from experimental social psychology and political science to increase compliance with public policies by increasing trust and correcting misperceptions. Objective 1 will be to review the existent literature on trust in public leaders (e.g., politicians, policymakers, etc.) and on people’s perceptions of social norms regarding health and sustainable behaviour. Objective 2 will be to test strategies to increase the public’s trust in public leaders. Finally, Objective 3 will be to test strategies to correct misperceptions about social norms.  

Eligibility

Candidates must have attained, or must be expected to attain, a first-class honours degree and/or a distinction at master’s level. If you are eligible to apply for the scholarship (i.e. a student who is eligible to pay the UK rate of tuition fees) but do not hold a UK degree, you can check our comparison entry requirements. Please note that you may need to provide evidence of your English Language proficiency.

Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is open to applicants eligible to pay tuition fees at the UK rate only, as defined by UKCISA regulations. 

Please visit our website for more information on eligibility.

Additional Funding Information 

This scholarship covers the full cost of UK tuition fees and an annual stipend at £19,237.

Additional research expenses will also be available.

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