The public image of the university – The German sub-study by PuRe SC: Public Reception of Science Communication

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Frank Marcinkowski
• Subject Area: Communication Sciences
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 583143235

The project is part of an international cooperation initiative. It examines the use, reception, and impact of channels and formats of public communication about science and research. Particular attention is given to the relative importance of communication activities carried out by universities and higher education institutions in shaping the public’s access to information about scientific research and its results. With regard to use, the focus is on which population groups and target audiences are reached by (university-based) science communication—and which are not. In the reception dimension, the study addresses the perception, processing, and evaluation of (university-based) communication about science and research. The impact dimension investigates the mental representations of universities and science that are prevalent among the public (the titular “image of the university”). It analyzes the relative importance of different sources of public science communication—universities, media and journalism, social media, digital platforms, governmental institutions, and research organizations—for shaping these representations. The study is conducted in four countries of the European Higher Education Area: Germany, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Italy. These countries share certain institutional similarities but also display differences in detail. Collaboration with partners in the United States and Taiwan further enables comparative perspectives with major higher education regions in North America and Asia. The research team employs a mixed-methods approach, combining a standardized population survey with focus group discussions. This design allows for the integration of quantitative reach with deeper insights into the perceptions of specific target groups. The project addresses a central gap in existing research: while the supply side of university communication has been extensively studied, the audience perspective has remained largely unexplored. This study contributes to a better understanding of the role of university-based science communication for 'Public Engagement with Science and Technology'. The overall project is scheduled for three years (2026–2028). The funding requested from the German Research Foundation (DFG) is intended to secure staffing for the German sub-study during the second and third years

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Martin W. Bauer; Professorin Marta Entradas, Ph.D.; Giuseppe Pellegrini, Ph.D.