Studies show that you should incentivize citizens through the desire to be part of something greater than them, being a role model and inspiration for others, the willingness to give to others, and personal growth.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Despite the benefits of using citizen science in public health research, certain challenges in doing so must be acknowledged, along with proposed solutions to these challenges.

Difficulties in using citizen science for public health research

Den Broeder, L., Devilee, J., Van Oers, H., Schuit, A. J., & Wagemakers, A. (2018). Citizen Science for public health. Health promotion international, 33(3), 505–514. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daw086

Citizen Science for public health

Economic concerns might be weighed against public health impacts. As a result, political activism and research might become intertwined, leading to a public perception of science as a field that can fall under the influence of those in power to create an ingenuine, politically-motivated outcome. Thus, citizen science poses the challenge of building connections between citizens and scientists, while also maintaining the quality and authenticity of research

Public health issues are often publicly disputed

Motivating people to participate in public health research

Do the involved citizens actually represent the group under investigation? Women, for example, participate more in popular epidemiology than men due to women’s family roles and their tendency towards having a relationship-focused view of the world. Such lack of representation is not an issue for mass data collection, but rather for smaller, more participative studies that involve identifying and reflecting on community needs.

Representation

The professional vantage point and skills of researchers might be difficult to reconcile with the empirical knowledge and skills of citizens. Some solutions to this potential misalignment include training, greater communication between citizens and scientists, and expanding the focus of the research in order to fully understand the community’s situation and health issues.

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