Following our recent chapter study, we’re excited to share the full findings from our community screening research on OBSERVER:
Our goal with #ObserverFilm was simple but ambitious: could a film about observation, something fundamental to how humans understand their world and to science itself, help people connect more deeply with science and scientists and see themselves as capable of doing science too?
We held over 75 community screenings in 32 states and 10 countries. Viewers at a subset of these screenings received an Observer Kit which included a handmade red frame, a Foldscope, a paint kit, and an activity book that translates the film’s themes into hands-on observation practices.
What we found:
* Broadened views of science and scientists: 57% of public viewers said the film changed their thinking about science and/or scientists, coming away seeing science as more collaborative, creative, and grounded in observation, and scientists as more relatable, humble, and human. Most who didn’t report a shift already held these views of science going in.
* Widespread personal identification: 92% of public audience members identified with at least one character in the film and often several—usually because of shared mindsets, curiosity, or approach to the world.
* Inspiration to act: 94% of public screening attendees said the film made them want to do something and 60% named more than one action. Most common was a desire to observe more intentionally, slowing down, using more senses, picking up tools from the film or the Observer Kit, and sharing that experience with others. These effects held up 6+ months later.
* Resonance with educators: 97% of educators who attended our screening at NSTA said they would use the film in their classroom—citing its emotional impact and how it portrays observation as an innate human ability and something anyone can do.
Together with our earlier paper on how audiences form trust, identification, and value alignment with on-screen scientists, this research suggests that portraying scientists as curious, passionate, and human can shift how people think about science and help them see it as something they can be part of.
🔗 Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/g3YiKa_W
