Executive summary: 

This report details the design and result of a computer-based behavioural experiment to gauge how the format of information provided to the public affects their understanding and perception of mining[1]related activities. The experiment was undertaken by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI – third party to GSI) in fulfilment of Deliverable 6.2, as part of WP6 of PACIFIC (Social acceptance & perception of risk for mining activities).

The design of the experiment was informed by a previous evaluation of currently used mining-related communication materials (Deliverable 6.1), as well as the broader social science and psychology literature. Insights gained from the results will be used to inform the design of follow-on experiments and will be used to generate recommendations for future communications (Deliverable 6.3).