Modeling intrinsic factors of inclusive engagement in Citizen Science: Insights from the participants’ survey analysis of CSI-COP

Inclusive citizen science is an emerging research topic that has been extensively studied in recent years. However, most of the previous studies focused on the development of theoretical models and practical strategies that scholars can employ to attract diverse populations to their citizen science (CS) projects. Their findings were mostly based on either conceptual ethical frameworks or empirical observations of the scholars after the completion of the specific CS project. Few studies collected socio-demographic and behavioral data of the active citizens involved in a CS project to analyze the diversity of citizens in CS. However, to the best of our knowledge, having reviewed numerous peer-reviewed papers, none of the previous studies attempted to use prospective citizen scientists’ traits to investigate intrinsic factors that may help increase the active engagement and diversity in CS. This paper presents a new inclusive citizen science engagement model based on quantitative analysis of surveys administered to 540 participants of the dedicated free informal education course ‘Your Right to Privacy Online’ (MOOC - a massive online open course) from eight countries in the EU funded project, CSI-COP (Citizen Scientists Investigating Cookies and App GDPR compliance). The surveys were filled out just after completing the training stage and before joining the project as active citizen scientists. Out of the 540 participants who completed the surveys analyzed in this study, only 170 (32%) individuals actively participated as citizen scientists in the project. Therefore, the study attempted to understand what characterizes these participants compared to those who decided to refrain from joining the project after the training stage. This study’s findings revealed several important relationships and predictors for becoming a citizen scientist based on the surveys analysis, such as age, gender, culture, education, Internet accessibility and apps usage, as well as the satisfaction with the MOOC, the mode of training and initial intentions for becoming a citizen scientist. These findings lead to the development of the empirical model for inclusive engagement in CS and enhance the understanding of the internal factors that influence individuals' intention and actual participation as citizen scientists. The devised model offers valuable insights for designing inclusive recruitment strategies, fostering positive learning experiences, addressing technological barriers, bridging the intention-engagement gap, and tailoring engagement strategies to accommodate ethnic and cultural diversity.