Public Perceptions About Biotechnology

Biotechnology represents a new generation of scientific and technological advancements and has the potential to result in profound changes in twenty-first century agriculture. Since the general public are the consumers of biotechnology products, public acceptance is vital. This article presents the results of a survey of a random sample of Texas residents on two significant issues. First, to what extent is the general public supportive of biotechnology, and second, are there some segments of the population that are more supportive of biotechnology than other segments. Survey results make it apparent that the Texas general public has a clear mandate about two aspects of biotechnology. First, there is widespread support for research on plant biotechnology and the resulting products. A second clear mandate was that the public was adamantly opposed to research on human cloning. Respondent\u27s views about animal biotechnology were split, with about equal numbers favoring and opposing research on animal biotechnology and the resulting products. Respondents most favorable to biotechnology included older people, males, persons with more education and higher incomes, those with more faith in science and technology, and those who perceive positive outcomes from biotechnology. Some implications of these findings are discussed