Public Opinion and Media Coverage of Animal Cloning and the Food Supply: Executive Summary

As part of its research program examining public knowledge, attitudes and opinions about food biotechnology, the Food Policy Institute recently completed a project examining public opinions about animal cloning and the products of animal cloning in the food supply. The project consisted of three components: 1) a review of the publicly available surveys of public opinion related to the issue; 2) a set of interviews with a group of opinion leaders looking at their mental models of animal cloning and the food supply; and, 3) an examination of media coverage of cloning and animals on websites, in news stories on the Internet, and in American print news stories published in 2005. The purpose of the study was to examine the intersection of rhetoric and opinion regarding the controversial issues related to animals, cloning, and the food supply.Rutgers Food Policy Institute Research Report: RR-1106-011