Summary

This supplement provides detailed information on the research that informs the FrameWorks Institute’s Culture Change Project report on “Claiming Contested Values.” In this supplement, we outline the research conducted with researchers, advocates, practitioners, and members of the public that provides the evidence base for the brief. We describe the methods we used, the composition of the samples, the frames we tested, and the data showing how these frames shifted outcomes in our survey experiments.

To arrive at the recommendations in the report, we applied Strategic Frame Analysis®—an approach to communications research and practice that yields strategies for shifting the discourse around social issues. This approach has been shown to increase understanding of, and engagement in, conversations about scientific and social issues. These frames were tested between October 2024 and July 2025 in one pilot and three nationally representative survey experiments. Throughout all research methods, 10,591 participants from across the United States were included.