One and Done? Testing a One-Item Measure to Distinguish Audiences of Science Communication

This preregistered study tests whether a one-item self-categorization question can reproduce Schäfer et al.’s four-segment typology of science communication audiences: “Sciencephiles,” “Critically Interested,” “Passive Supporters,” and “Disengaged.” Using survey data from 3,272 visitors to CERN’s Science Gateway, we compare classifications from the single-item measure with those from the established 10-item instrument. Results show high precision but moderate recall in identifying Sciencephiles, but poor accuracy for other segments. Overall, the one-item measure is not interchangeable with the multi-item instrument in this setting; it may serve as a brief screener for Sciencephiles when brevity is required, and false positives must be minimized.