About

Andrew R. Binder is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at North Carolina State University. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, obtained in 2010, and conducts research on controversial science topics. His work focuses on how information about these topics is transmitted through various communication channels and the impact of that communication on risk perception and public understanding of science. His research has been published in several academic journals, including Science Communication, Public Understanding of Science, Communication Research, and the Journal of Health Communication. His current projects include a national opinion survey on the use of reclaimed water in people's homes, a meta-analysis of the empirical relationship between sending sexually explicit text messages and sexual behaviors, and a systematic review of research on public opinion of genetic engineering. His academic background includes a B.A. in French, a M.S. in Life Sciences Communication, and a Ph.D. in Mass Communications, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also the Director of Graduate Programs in the Department of Communication, an advisor for the Undergraduate Minor in Science Communication, and a Co-Director of Community Engagement at the Center for Human Health & the Environment.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Sociology
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Psychology
• Medicine
• Public relations
• Media studies
• Social psychology
• Law
• Business
• Gerontology
• Demography
• Nursing
• Internet privacy
• Knowledge management
• Literature
• Art
• Environmental health

Selected publications

• 2021 North Carolina Survey on Human Health and the Environment

  Open MIND · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This project collects and reports survey data from North Carolina residents on a variety of topics. Environmental health topics covered include per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), COVID-19, pulmonary and cardiovascular health, heavy metals, and climate change.

  PublisherDOI

• 2024 North Carolina Survey on Human Health and the Environment

  OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Public Views on Environmental Health Topics in North Carolina, 2020-2024

  OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) · 2025-03-28

  other

  This project collects and reports survey data from North Carolina residents on a variety of topics. Environmental health topics covered include per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), COVID-19, pulmonary and cardiovascular health, heavy metals, and climate change.

  Publisher

• Environmental Health Literacy as Knowing, Feeling, and Believing: Analyzing Linkages between Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status and Willingness to Engage in Protective Behaviors against Health Threats

  UNC Libraries · 2022-03-30

  articleOpen access

  This study investigates the relationships between environmental health literacy, the characteristics of people (race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status) associated with health disparities, and people’s willingness to engage in protective behaviors against environmental health threats. Environmental health literacy is a framework for capturing the continuum between the knowledge of environmental impacts on public health, and the skills and decisions needed to take health-protective actions. We pay particular attention to three dimensions of environmental health literacy: factual knowledge (knowing the facts), knowledge sufficiency (feeling ready to decide what to do), and response efficacy (believing that protective behaviors work). In June 2020, we collected survey data from North Carolina residents on two topics: the viral infection COVID-19 and industrial contaminants called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). We used their responses to test stepwise regression models with willingness to engage in protective behaviors as a dependent variable and other characteristics as independent variables, including environmental health literacy. For both topics, our results indicated that no disparities emerged according to socioeconomic factors (level of education, household income, or renting one’s residence). We observed disparities in willingness according to race, comparing Black to White participants, but not when comparing White to American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander participants nor Hispanic to non-Hispanic participants. The disparities in willingness between Black and White participants persisted until we introduced the variables of environmental health literacy, when the difference between these groups was no longer significant in the final regression models. The findings suggest that focusing on environmental health literacy could bridge a gap in willingness to protect oneself based on factors such as race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status, which have been identified in the environmental health literature as resulting in health disparities.

  PublisherDOI

• Eliciting Stakeholder Perceptions Using a Novel Online Engagement Platform: A Case Study on Nano-Agrifoods

  2022-01-20 · 4 citations

  reportOpen access

  Stakeholder engagement is an important component in developing policies on critical issues such as the use and development of novel methods and technologies, including biotechnologies and nanotechnologies. Understanding the perspectives, needs, and concerns of stakeholder groups can facilitate the development of transparent and trusted policy recommendations. Innovative online research platforms have been developed as alternatives to typical stakeholder engagement methods such as in-person focus groups, interviews, and online and paper surveys. These platforms facilitate the engagement of geographically and linguistically (i.e., individuals who speak different languages) diverse stakeholders using a wide range of methods, from virtual focus groups to surveys. Stakeholders can participate at their own leisure and anonymously, which can facilitate more open interactions on issues where viewpoints may differ. In this work, we used an online stakeholder engagement platform (OSEP) to engage stakeholders and capture their perceptions and views about the application of nanotechnology in food and agriculture (nano-agrifood) and the role of responsible innovation in the development of nano-agrifood products. The OSEP provided a reliable and interactive environment for stakeholders to share their views and exchange ideas. Such OSEPs should be further explored as novel tools for engaging stakeholders on a range of issues from emerging technologies to public health.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Environmental Health Literacy as Knowing, Feeling, and Believing: Analyzing Linkages between Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status and Willingness to Engage in Protective Behaviors against Health Threats

  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2022 · 26 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Sociology
  • Political Science
  • Environmental health

  This study investigates the relationships between environmental health literacy, the characteristics of people (race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status) associated with health disparities, and people's willingness to engage in protective behaviors against environmental health threats. Environmental health literacy is a framework for capturing the continuum between the knowledge of environmental impacts on public health, and the skills and decisions needed to take health-protective actions. We pay particular attention to three dimensions of environmental health literacy: factual knowledge (knowing the facts), knowledge sufficiency (feeling ready to decide what to do), and response efficacy (believing that protective behaviors work). In June 2020, we collected survey data from North Carolina residents on two topics: the viral infection COVID-19 and industrial contaminants called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). We used their responses to test stepwise regression models with willingness to engage in protective behaviors as a dependent variable and other characteristics as independent variables, including environmental health literacy. For both topics, our results indicated that no disparities emerged according to socioeconomic factors (level of education, household income, or renting one's residence). We observed disparities in willingness according to race, comparing Black to White participants, but not when comparing White to American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander participants nor Hispanic to non-Hispanic participants. The disparities in willingness between Black and White participants persisted until we introduced the variables of environmental health literacy, when the difference between these groups was no longer significant in the final regression models. The findings suggest that focusing on environmental health literacy could bridge a gap in willingness to protect oneself based on factors such as race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status, which have been identified in the environmental health literature as resulting in health disparities.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Masks Don’t Work but You Should Get One: Circulation of the Science of Masking During the Covid-19 Pandemic

  Risk, systems and decisions · 2021 · 4 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Political Science
  • Sociology
  • Computer Science
  PublisherDOI

• Responsible innovation of nano-agrifoods: Insights and views from U.S. stakeholders

  NanoImpact · 2021 · 19 citations

  • Political Science
  • Computer Science
  • Business

  To date, there has been little published work that has elicited diverse stakeholder views of nano-agrifoods and of how nano-agrifoods align with the goals of responsible innovation. This paper aims to fill this research gap by investigating views of nano-agrifoods, how well their development adheres to principles of responsible innovation, and potential challenges for achieving responsible nano-agrifood innovation. Using an online engagement platform, we find that U.S. stakeholder views of responsible innovation were dominated by environmental, health, and safety (EHS) contexts, considerations of societal impacts, opportunities for stakeholder engagement, and responding to societal needs. These views overlap with scholarly definitions of responsible innovation, albeit stakeholders were more focused on impacts of products, while the field of responsible innovation strives for more “upstream” considerations of the process of innovation. We also find that views of nano-agrifoods differed across applications with dietary supplements and improved whitening of infant formula viewed least favorably, and environmental health or food safety applications viewed most favorably. These findings align with the larger body of literature, whereby stakeholders are expected to be more supportive of nanotechnology used in agricultural applications compared to directly within food and food supplements. Overall, participants indicated they held relatively neutral views on research and innovation for nano-agrifoods being conducted responsibly, and they identified key challenges to ensuring their responsible innovation that were related to uncertainties in EHS studies, the need for public understanding and acceptance, and adequate regulation. In light of these results, we recommend future research efforts on EHS impacts and risk-benefit frameworks for nano-agrifoods, better understanding stakeholder views on what constitutes effective regulation, and addressing challenges with effective regulation and responsible innovation practices.

  PublisherDOI

• Modernizing safe handling and ready-to-eat/not-ready-to-eat labeling instructions: Web-based experimental study

  2019-07-31

  articleSenior author
  Publisher

• An inconvenient source? Attributes of science documentaries and their effects on information-related behavioral intentions

  Journal of Science Communication · 2018-06-20 · 12 citations

  articleOpen access

  We investigate the impact of a science documentary on individuals' intention to engage in information-related behaviors by experimentally testing the effects of source type (scientist, politician, or anonymous source) and communication setting (interview or lecture) using a manipulated clip from the documentary, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’. Our results indicate that, compared to anonymous sources, use of authoritative ones result in greater intention to engage in some information-related behaviors. Additionally, our results suggest that increased intentions to engage in exchanging information can be attributed to negative affect induced by the clip featuring a politician. Implications for documentary films and science communication are discussed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Dietram A. Scheufele

  8 shared

• Dominique Brossard

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  7 shared

• Emily Zechman Berglund

  North Carolina State University

  7 shared

• Venu Kandiah

  North Carolina State University

  5 shared

• Eulàlia P. Abril

  University of Illinois Chicago

  4 shared

• Hernando Rojas

  4 shared

• Michael A. Cacciatore

  University of Georgia

  4 shared

• Xiaoli Nan

  University of Maryland, College Park

  4 shared

Labs

• Department of Communication, North Carolina State UniversityPI