John Kerr
2025: Dr John Kerr of Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – the University of Otago will investigate the factors that influence the public’s attitudes towards government decisions about public health measures
Effective public health measures rely on a foundation of public trust and acceptance. However, the spread of misinformation can undermine this trust, leading to debate, division, non-compliance, and ultimately, policies that fail to protect the community.
Dr John Kerr has been awarded a Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowship to use a range of methods, including media analysis, surveys, and online experiments, to explore the prevalence and impacts of misleading health information. The aim is to provide actionable insights for policy development and public health communication, and to mitigate the effects of misleading health-related information, strengthening New Zealanders’ resilience. The results will also inform broader debates about why people are divided in their beliefs about health and health interventions.
Dr John Kerr is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Public Health at Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago, Wellington, and Science Lead for the Public Health Communication Centre. After a PhD in Psychology from Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington, John joined the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom as a Postdoctoral Fellow, and worked in academic publishing and science communication.
Covid-19 posters on Molesworth St, Wellington (photo credit: Maarten Holl 2020, © Te Papa CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Te Papa CA001237/001/0019)