Session 15

Datademic

Data-decision-behaviour: A consolidated approach?

Organised by Gesundheit Österreich GmbH and Sciensano in the course of PHIRI, the EU Population Health Information Research Infrastruture project

During the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicting data and research findings as well as their interpretation hamper decision-making processes. The roles and responsibilities of scientific advisors and politicians in such processes are often ambiguous, and the reasons behind policy decisions are not always communicated transparently to the public - which in turn has a significant impact on people's behaviour.

In this session we will:

• consider the impact of conflicting expert advice on policy makers;
• learn about the challenges that different professions (researchers, policy makers, communication experts) as well as the general public are confronted with in the process of communicating and interpreting information;
• explore how increased public availability of data and a high level of public interest can influence interpretation of evidence and subsequently affect behaviour;
• address the impact that communication strategies can have on public trust in experts, instititutions and decision-making processes.

Join us to discuss the complex relationship between information, policy and behaviour, and envision how better data can ultimately lead to better decisions.