Ithaca, New York
August 28, 2003
A
recent survey of New York state residents on the use of
biotechnology in food and agriculture finds the public almost
evenly split between those who oppose its use, those who favor
it and those who are undecided.
The findings were among the results of a special-topics survey
on biotechnology as part of the 2003 Empire State Poll, an
ongoing poll of New Yorkers' views conducted by the Survey
Research Institute at Cornell University's School of Industrial
and Labor Relations.
The survey findings reflect the public's apparent ambivalence on
the use of biotechnology in food and agriculture. Thirty-nine
percent of New Yorkers oppose the use of genetically modified
food, compared
with 33 percent who support it. A third, sizable segment, 29
percent, is undecided and neither opposes nor favors the use of
biotechnology.
Residents are similarly divided on whether the use of
biotechnology is risky. Thirty-seven percent believe the risks
of using biotechnology in food are greater than any benefits; 36
percent say the overall benefits are greater than any potential
risk; and 28 percent think the benefits and risks are about
equal.
"Public opinion about biotechnology appears to be much less
polarized than commonly assumed," says Clint Nesbitt, manager of
a Cornell public-issues education project on genetically
engineered products (see
http://www.geo-pie.cornell.edu).
"Even among supporters and opponents, strength of opinion varies
considerably. This suggests that the more strident voices so
often heard in the public arena are not necessarily
representative of public opinion at large and that there is
fertile ground for a more-nuanced, balanced discussion of the
issues."
The study also examined the demographics and behavior of New
Yorkers who oppose, support or are undecided on the use of
biotechnology. Opponents are more likely to be female,
ideologically liberal and younger than those in the other two
groups. They are less likely to pay attention to news on science
and biotechnology, are less aware of or informed about
biotechnology issues and have fewer years of achieved education.
Proponents of biotechnology tend to be male and ideologically
moderate. They pay more attention to news about science and
biotechnology, are aware of or informed about the subject and
have more years of achieved education.
About half of the undecideds are male and half are female. They
are the least aware of or informed about the issues, compared
with opponents or proponents. However, of the three groups they
have the
most years of achieved education.
The special-topics survey is part of a research initiative
funded by the Cornell Institute for Biotechnology and Life
Science Technologies that is examining New York state residents'
knowledge, interest and opinions about biotechnology in
agriculture and food production, as well as news coverage of the
topic in local media. According to Steve Kresovich, director of
that institute, the goal in sponsoring this research is "to
understand better how the people of New York perceive the impact
of new technologies on sustainable agriculture."
The study was commissioned by James Shanahan, associate
professor of communications at Cornell, who comments: "While
media coverage of agricultural biotechnology has lessened
overall, some people do still hold reservations. At the same
time, the predicted avalanche of public rejection of
biotechnology has not materialized. The calmer tone of discourse
surrounding biotechnology creates a better environment in which
to discuss benefits and drawbacks."
Kresovich adds: "The survey findings suggest that the general
public may need to see more benefits to human health and the
environment before it may be willing to accept products of the
technology. As
such, this information helps us plan future activities."
Those survey results from the 2003 Empire State Poll are based
on 888 statewide telephone survey interviews conducted between
March 15 and July 1, 2003. All reported results are weighted for
the population distribution between downstate and upstate areas
of New York, for white and nonwhite populations and household
income. "Downstate" is defined as New York, Rockland, Kings,
Richmond, Westchester, Suffolk, Queens, Nassau and Bronx
counties, with the remaining counties of the state defined as
"upstate." Results are statistically significant at a plus/minus
3.3 percent margin of error. The error margin increases for
cross-tabulations.
For more on the survey results, see this Web site:
http://www.comm.cornell.edu/msrg/research_news.html
About the Survey Research Institute at Cornell:
SRI conducts sophisticated survey research on par with other top
U.S. polling agencies. With a state-of-the-art data collection
and analysis facility that is administered by the Cornell School
of
Industrial and Labor Relations, SRI has conducted major national
and state studies on health and safety issues of New York City
firefighters, rising tuition at universities, and support for
civil liberties and the war in Iraq. It also is an important
learning environment for Cornell students.
For information, contact Yasamin Miller at (607) 255-0148 or
yd17@cornell.edu or Erik
Nisbet at
(607) 254-7213 or
ecn1@cornell.ed .
For more on the Empire State
Poll see this Web site:
http://www.sri.cornell.edu |