Summary of Public U.S. Public Opinion Regarding Genetic Engineering

Biotechnology, both as a science and as an industry, occupies an extremely precarious position within the arena of public opinion. Approval ratings regarding genetic engineering can fluctuate as much as fifty percentage points depending upon the sex, level of education, nationality, and income of the respondent, as well as their level of exposure to other types of technology. Other factors such as the specificity of the question, the particular biotechnological application being referenced and the political/economical atmosphere at the time the question is asked also play a large part in influencing the assessment of the respondent. Especially in Europe, disasters in other industries involving the environment, food supply or health of the public can have a negative affect on upon people’s assessment of genetic engineering too.

Information regarding public opinion of genetic engineering is difficult to come by. Although the NSF has been tracking U.S. sentiment since 1985, their data has been mainly concerned with general attitudes. More specific analysis regarding applications and uses of biotechnology are problematic due to a lack in cross-cultural comparison (one or two cross-cultural surveys have been located, but they began in the late 1990’s and thus do not posses enough data to construct a meaningful trend). Below is the basic summary of the information that exists right now. Information with enough data points has been marked trend. Data with too few points are marked characteristics.

Similar characteristics and trends between America and Europe:

Men typically demonstrate a higher level of approval regarding biotechnology than women. (NSB2002, Bonny2003)(trend)
Younger people are more accepting of biotechnology than older generations. (NSB2002, Bonny2003)(characteristic)
Higher levels of education generally equate to higher approval ratings of genetic engineering (NSB2002)(trend)
Medical and pharmaceutical applications of biotechnology are seen more favorably than agricultural applications (NSB2002, Bonny2003).(characteristic)
Agricultural applications of biotechnology that seek to decrease dependence upon insecticide by improving resistance to insects are seen more favorably than those applications that seek to improve taste (Bonny2003, NSB2002).(characteristic)
Despite high levels of media attention, both European and American respondents do not feel well informed about biotechnology and desire to have higher a level of understanding regarding the genetic engineering process and the risks and benefits involved with GMOs (NSB2002, Bonny2003).(characteristic)

Noticeable differences in American and European public opinion include:

European respondents do not place a high value upon biotechnology being able to increase the world’s food supply (Bonny2003).(characteristic)
European respondents posses a higher level of distrust towards scientists, companies and governmental officials involved in biotechnology (Bonny2003).(characteristic)
The right to choose to eat GMOs, made possible through product labeling, is an extremely serious issue in European society (Bonny2003).(Characteristic)

Source: National Science Board Science and Engineering Indicators 2002

The above graph summarizes the public opinion of United States regarding genetic engineering as a whole from 1985 to 2001. Biotechnology enjoyed a positive perception continually during the sixteen-year period, although not by a large margin. Beginning in 1999 both positive and negative public sentiment began to decline while a more indifferent (cautious?) attitude began to rise.

Source: National Science Board Science and Engineering Indicators 2002

As mentioned earlier, a respondent’s gender can play a part in influencing sentiment regarding biotechnology. During the sixteen-year period surveyed, U.S. male respondents displayed higher approval ratings regarding genetic engineering than their female counter parts. Although the neutral response is relatively similar for both the male and female indices of public opinion, males clearly hold a more favorable opinion of genetic engineering. In fact, negative female sentiment actually scored higher than positive sentiment beginning roughly around 1996.

Source: National Science Board Science and Engineering Indicators 2002

As may be expected, U.S. survey respondents reporting a college education demonstrated higher approval ratings for genetic engineering than those possessing only a high school education. Both categories did demonstrate similar tendencies regarding a decrease in overall approval/disapproval and an increase in “risk-equals-benefits” sentiment.

United States Trade Balances for Advanced Technologies

Technologies:

Biotechnology: the medical and industrial application of advanced genetic research to the creation of drugs, hormones, and other therapeutic items for both agricultural and human uses.

Optoelectronics: the development of electronics and electronic components that emit or detect light, including optical scanners, optical disk players, solar cells, photosensitive semiconductors, and laser printers.

Information and Communications: the development of products that process increasing amounts of information in shorter periods of time, including fax machines, telephone switching apparatus, radar apparatus, communications satellites, central processing units, and peripheral units such as disk drives, control units, modems, and computer software.

Electronics: the development of electronic components (other than optoelectronics) including integrated circuits, multiplayer printed circuit boards, and surface mounted components, such as capacitors and resistors, that result in improved performance and capacity and reduced size.

Advanced Materials: the development of materials including semiconductor materials, optical fiber cable, and videodisks that enhance the application of other advanced technologies.

Nuclear Technology: the development of nuclear production apparatus, including nuclear reactors and parts, isotopic separation equipment, and fuel cartridges (not including medical technology).

In order for a product to be classified under any category it must both contain a significant amount of said technology as well as attribute a significant amount of its value to said technology. For the purpose of analysis Computer Software is separated from Information and Communication technology in the following graph.