Genetic Engineering [ Home | Feedback | Search | ISC home]

Public Perceptions of Genetic Engineering
an International Survey Center project

The ISC began to study public attitudes to genetic engineering in 1994, in a project sponsored by the Commonwealth of Australia. This was based on an initial survey of 1328 respondents in our 1994/95 survey, a representative national sample of Australians in all states and territories. The questionnaire included more than 30 questions specifically on genetic engineering, systematically developed on the basis of a lengthy developmental pretest of more than 300 respondents. In addition the questionnaire included   extensive batteries of items on factors that shape people's views on genetic engineering --  religious beliefs, attitudes to science in general, political attitudes, environmental attitudes, views on new medical technologies, education, occupation, etc. The report on these data is available here [1994/95 Report]. It offers a  rigorous, dispassionate, statistical analysis of public opinion without any preconceived bias for or against it.

Building on this initial analysis, we collected new data on over 2,000 respondents in 1996/97. This questionnaire repeated most of the items from the earlier report, allowing an analysis of changes over time. It also opened up some new issues and ask a battery of questions from an EEC survey of attitudes to genetic engineering to allow a comparison of Australia with other nations. We now propose to establish a new project to extend this line of research.

New project: Attitudes to Genetic Engineering:
Australia 1994-1999 and the USA 1999

We seeking support for a new project on changing public attitudes to genetic engineering. The project will offer:

• Part 1. An analysis of changes in Australians' attitudes to genetic engineering between 1994 and 1997, and comparison with attitudes in several European nations.
  • The Australian data will come from our two large representative national sample surveys. The second survey includes a substantial number of respondents who were also in the first survey, allowing a particularly clear analysis of changes over time.
  • The analysis will be conducted to rigorous academic standards by two leading sociologists with numerous publications in the world's best sociology journals [Kelley and Evans]. The reports will be presented in a brief and readable manner [see the 1994/95 Report for an example].
  • Schedule: Reports available in bi-monthly installments, December 1998 to June 1999.

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  Part 2. Collection of two new data sets based on large, representative national samples of over 1,500 Australians (1998/1999) and over 1,000 Americans (1999).

  • Most of the Australian sample will be a panel of respondents in one or both of the earlier surveys, allowing a particularly powerful analysis of change over time.
  • The US sample will be new respondents.
  • The comparison between two nations will allow a deeper understanding of each. The US and Australian samples will ask many of the same questions. This allows us to determine which patterns of belief are unique to each nation (and so likely to be explained by factors unique to each nation's history, circumstances, or governmental actions) and which are common to both (and so likely to be explained by more general factors not unique to any one nation).
  • Schedule: Data collection in late 1998 and in 1999.

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  Part 3.  An analysis of changing attitudes in Australia through 1999. This will use the new data collected in 1998/1999. The reports will be based on the same rigorous methods, presented in the same style, and written by the same authors, as the reports of Part 1.

  • Schedule: Reports available in bi-monthly installments, beginning June 1999.

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  Part 4. An analysis of attitudes to genetic engineering in the USA, with a cross-national comparison to Australia and other nations. This will be based on the the 1999 US survey, with extensive comparisons with the 1994-1999 Australian surveys and more limited comparisons with earlier EEC surveys.

  • Schedule: Reports available in bi-monthly installments, beginning November 1999.

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  Future Plans. We plan to continue the project indefinitely, funding permitting. It will include:

  • Bi-annual surveys in Australia and the USA in the year 2000 and beyond. The surveys will include many respondents from earlier surveys, allowing for particularly clear analyses of changes over time.
  • Rigorous and unbiased statistical analysis of attitudes to genetic engineering in the USA and Australia, and changes over time in these attitudes.  To be presented in bi-monthly installments.

Availability and Sponsorship

The 1994/95 Report is freely available now: Public Perceptions of Genetic Engineering: Australia, 1994 by Jonathan Kelley.

This rest of the project is dependent on obtaining funding from sponsors. In general, reports and data will be available only to sponsors for a period of  two years following their publication.

To proceed we need $US 50,000 a year, for two years initially. If the project is oversubscribed, contributions will be scaled down on a pro-rata basis. We seek sponsors of three sorts:

• Lead Sponsor:  $A 75,000 (or $US 50,000) per year, for two years.
  • In addition to access to the data and reports listed above, the  lead sponsor will be offered additional data and analysis on topics of particular interest to them (up to 10 new items and 3 reports).
• Major Sponsors: $A 7,500 (or $US 5,000) per year, for two years.
  • In addition to access to the data and reports listed above, major sponsors will be offered additional analysis and one report on a topic of particular interest to them.
• Sponsors: $A 5,000 (or $US 3,500) per year, for two years.
  • Sponsors will have access to the data and reports listed above.

We are committed to presenting results in a scientific and unbiased manner, based on reliable quantitative data --"telling it like it is" -- and will do so regardless of sponsorship. We would prefer to have a diverse group of sponsors with differing interests and views on the issues involved.

Contact Information:

• e-mail: kelley@international-survey.org
• phone and fax: 61 2 6297 2937
• post: Jonathan Kelley, ISP, RSSS, Australian National University, Canberra 0200,   Australia

Visitors to this page since 10 May 1998

© Copyright Jonathan Kelley and M.D.R. Evans, 1995-98. Published simultaneously in Australia and the USA.
The 1994/95 report is copyright 1995 by the Commonwealth of Australia.

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