Perceptions of emerging biotechnologies

Research on public views of biotechnology has centered on genetically modified (GM) foods. However, as the breadth of biotechnology applications grows, a better understanding of public concerns about non-agricultural biotechnology products is needed in order to develop proactive strategies to addres...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental research letters 2019-11, Vol.14 (11), p.114018
Main Authors: Azodi, Christina B, Dietz, Thomas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural biotechnology
Agricultural practices
Biotechnology
Genetic engineering
Genetic modification
Learning algorithms
Machine learning
Public opinion
values
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Summary:Research on public views of biotechnology has centered on genetically modified (GM) foods. However, as the breadth of biotechnology applications grows, a better understanding of public concerns about non-agricultural biotechnology products is needed in order to develop proactive strategies to address these concerns. Here, we explore the perceived benefits and risks associated with five biotechnology products and how those perceptions translate into public opinion about the use and regulation of biotechnology in the United States. While we found greater support for non-agricultural biotechnology product, 70% of individuals surveyed showed no or little variation in their support across the products, indicating opinions about early GM products may be influencing the acceptance of emerging biotechnologies. We identified five common patterns of opinions about biotechnology and used machine learning models to integrate a wide range of factors and predict a respondent's opinion group. While the model was particularly good at identifying individuals supportive of biotechnology, differentiating between individuals from the non- and conditionally-supportive opinion groups was more challenging, emphasizing the complexity of public opinions of emerging biotechnology products.
ISSN:1748-9326
1748-9326
DOI:10.1088/1748-9326/ab4433