The perception and use of generative AI for science-related information search: Insights from a cross-national study

Esther Greussing; Lars Guenther; Ayelet Baram-Tsabari; Shakked Dabran-Zivan; Evelyn Jonas; Inbal Klein-Avraham; Monika Taddicken; Torben Esbo Agergaard; Becca Beets; Dominique Brossard; Anwesha Chakraborty; Antoinette Fage-Butler; Chun Ju Huang; Siddharth Kankaria; Yin Yueh Lo; Kristian H. Nielsen; Michelle Riedlinger; Hyunjin Song

doi:10.1177/09636625241308493

The perception and use of generative AI for science-related information search: Insights from a cross-national study

Esther Greussing, Lars Guenther, Ayelet Baram-Tsabari, Shakked Dabran-Zivan, Evelyn Jonas, Inbal Klein-Avraham, Monika Taddicken, Torben Esbo Agergaard, Becca Beets, Dominique Brossard, Anwesha Chakraborty, Antoinette Fage-Butler, Chun Ju Huang, Siddharth Kankaria, Yin Yueh Lo, Kristian H. Nielsen, Michelle Riedlinger, Hyunjin Song

Department of Communication

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Publicly accessible large language models like ChatGPT are emerging as novel information intermediaries, enabling easy access to a wide range of science-related information. This study presents survey data from seven countries (N = 4320) obtained in July and August 2023, focusing on the perception and use of GenAI for science-related information search. Despite the novelty of ChatGPT, a sizable proportion of respondents already reported using it to access science-related information. In addition, the study explores how these users perceive ChatGPT compared with traditional types of information intermediaries (e.g. Google Search), their knowledge of, and trust in GenAI, compared with nonusers as well as compared with those who use ChatGPT for other purposes. Overall, this study provides insights into the perception and use of GenAI at an early stage of adoption, advancing our understanding of how this emerging technology shapes public understanding of science issues as an information intermediary.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	599-615
Number of pages	17
Journal	Public Understanding of Science
Volume	34
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625241308493
Publication status	Published - 2025 Jul

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Communication
Developmental and Educational Psychology
Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)

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Cite this

Greussing, E., Guenther, L., Baram-Tsabari, A., Dabran-Zivan, S., Jonas, E., Klein-Avraham, I., Taddicken, M., Agergaard, T. E., Beets, B., Brossard, D., Chakraborty, A., Fage-Butler, A., Huang, C. J., Kankaria, S., Lo, Y. Y., Nielsen, K. H., Riedlinger, M., & Song, H. (2025). The perception and use of generative AI for science-related information search: Insights from a cross-national study. Public Understanding of Science, 34(5), 599-615. https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625241308493

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title = "The perception and use of generative AI for science-related information search: Insights from a cross-national study",

abstract = "Publicly accessible large language models like ChatGPT are emerging as novel information intermediaries, enabling easy access to a wide range of science-related information. This study presents survey data from seven countries (N = 4320) obtained in July and August 2023, focusing on the perception and use of GenAI for science-related information search. Despite the novelty of ChatGPT, a sizable proportion of respondents already reported using it to access science-related information. In addition, the study explores how these users perceive ChatGPT compared with traditional types of information intermediaries (e.g. Google Search), their knowledge of, and trust in GenAI, compared with nonusers as well as compared with those who use ChatGPT for other purposes. Overall, this study provides insights into the perception and use of GenAI at an early stage of adoption, advancing our understanding of how this emerging technology shapes public understanding of science issues as an information intermediary.",

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Greussing, E, Guenther, L, Baram-Tsabari, A, Dabran-Zivan, S, Jonas, E, Klein-Avraham, I, Taddicken, M, Agergaard, TE, Beets, B, Brossard, D, Chakraborty, A, Fage-Butler, A, Huang, CJ, Kankaria, S, Lo, YY, Nielsen, KH, Riedlinger, M & Song, H 2025, 'The perception and use of generative AI for science-related information search: Insights from a cross-national study', Public Understanding of Science, vol. 34, no. 5, pp. 599-615. https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625241308493

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T2 - Insights from a cross-national study

AU - Greussing, Esther

AU - Guenther, Lars

AU - Baram-Tsabari, Ayelet

AU - Dabran-Zivan, Shakked

AU - Jonas, Evelyn

AU - Klein-Avraham, Inbal

AU - Taddicken, Monika

AU - Agergaard, Torben Esbo

AU - Beets, Becca

AU - Brossard, Dominique

AU - Chakraborty, Anwesha

AU - Fage-Butler, Antoinette

AU - Huang, Chun Ju

AU - Kankaria, Siddharth

AU - Lo, Yin Yueh

AU - Nielsen, Kristian H.

AU - Riedlinger, Michelle

AU - Song, Hyunjin

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

PY - 2025/7

Y1 - 2025/7

N2 - Publicly accessible large language models like ChatGPT are emerging as novel information intermediaries, enabling easy access to a wide range of science-related information. This study presents survey data from seven countries (N = 4320) obtained in July and August 2023, focusing on the perception and use of GenAI for science-related information search. Despite the novelty of ChatGPT, a sizable proportion of respondents already reported using it to access science-related information. In addition, the study explores how these users perceive ChatGPT compared with traditional types of information intermediaries (e.g. Google Search), their knowledge of, and trust in GenAI, compared with nonusers as well as compared with those who use ChatGPT for other purposes. Overall, this study provides insights into the perception and use of GenAI at an early stage of adoption, advancing our understanding of how this emerging technology shapes public understanding of science issues as an information intermediary.

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KW - cross-national research

KW - information search

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The perception and use of generative AI for science-related information search: Insights from a cross-national study

Abstract

Bibliographical note

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

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