Public Opinion

Public opinion surveys seek to capture views on biotechnology at specific historical moments and track shifts over time. They can also provide clues about how public views are shaped by high-profile events, political climates, and cultural shifts. The Center for Genetics and Society has collected poll data from 1986 to the present. There are two main pages covering opinion polls on Heritable Human Genetic Modification and Cloning and on Animal and Pet Cloning. Sources are provided, though some external links may no longer be operative.

Manufacturing Opinion: What’s Not to Like About a Perfect Technology?

By Pete Shanks | 08.25.2020

Biopolitical Times

Here’s a provocative headline and subhead from OneZero, a publication by Medium, above an article by Emily Mullin published on August 17: Men Are Twice as Likely to Support Genetically Engineered Babies Than Women The public may be ready for gene-edited babies. This is clearly an attention-grabber...

Human Genetic Modification

A Misleading Poll on Human Genetic Technologies

By Pete Shanks | 12.16.2020

Biopolitical Times

If you ask the wrong question, you will certainly get the wrong answer. Likewise, if your questions are confusing or misleading, you may get answers that don’t make sense. In the worst of all worlds, the answers, right or wrong, can be misinterpreted to say something they clearly don’t.

The Pew survey of global attitudes to biotechnology research published on December 10 asks the wrong questions in a confusing way. This is significant, in itself and even more because all...

Genetic Selection