Aversion preceding rejection: Results of the Eurobarometer Survey 39.1 on biotechnology and genetic engineering in Austria

Public Understanding of Science

Volumn 6, Issue 2, 1997, Pages 131-142

  Torgersen, Helge ^b   Seifert, Franz ^a  

^a INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES   (Austria)

^b NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0041844260     PISSN: 09636625     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1088/0963-6625/6/2/002     Document Type: Review

References (23)

1. Musil, R., 1952, The Man Without Qualities, quoted in Johnston, W. M., 1972, The Austrian Mind (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press).
2. Review in Zechendorf, B., 1994, What the public thinks about biotechnology. A survey of opinion polls. Bio/Technology, 12, 870-875;
3. overview in Pfenning, U., Urban, D., and Weiss, V., 1995, Handbuch zur empirischen Erhebung von Einstellungen/Kognitionen zur Bio- und Gentechnologie. Schriftenreihe des Instituts für Sozialforschung der Universität Stuttgart No. 4/95, (SISS: Stuttgart).
4. Marlier, E., 1992, Eurobarometer 35.1. Opinions of Europeans on biotechnology in 1991. Biotechnology in Public: a Review of Recent Research, edited by J. Durant (London: Science Museum), pp.52-108;
5. Marlier, E., 1993, Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, What Europeans Think about it in 1993, Survey conducted in the context of Eurobarometer 39.1, Report for the Commission of the European Community, DG XII/E/1 by INRA (Europe) (Brussels: European Coordination Office). In addition to the results from all EU countries, results are also available from Norway, where the same survey was carried out in October 1993:
6. see Nielsen, T. H., 1997, Biotechnologie im Lande Andersrum. Biotechnologie in der Öffentlichkeit - von der Risikodiskussion zur Technikgestaltung, edited by H. Torgersen (Vienna: ITA/OeAW).
7. In Austria, only one study that was carried out in 1991 is available, and it is not comparable with the Eurobarometer surveys: Edition Zeitthema, 1992, Wissenschaft ja, aber..., Umfrage zur Gentechnologie. Edition Zeitthema, 1, 10-14.
8. Seifert, F., and Torgersen, H., 1996, Die Bewertung der Bio- und Gentechnologie, Österreich im EU-Vergleich, Sozialwissenschaftliche Rundschau, 3, pp 47-72. The survey was carried out by a professional survey institute based in Linz, Austria.
9. In Denmark and the Netherlands, the risk perception is also high, but the support is average. In 1991, Denmark was among the countries with the lowest support; however, there the levels of support increased between 1991 and 1993, although the risk perception remained high. It is worth mentioning that in both Denmark and the Netherlands public discussion was promoted by means of participatory procedures.
10. Evans, G., and Durant, J., 1995, The relationship between knowledge and attitudes in the public understanding of science in Britain. Public Understanding of Science, 4, 57-74.
11. There is a high negative correlation between the percentage of 'don't know' answers in the evaluation questions and technical knowledge in the nationally aggregated data for the EU. Countries in which many people replied with 'don't know' also show a lower level of knowledge. Even within the Austrian sample, such a correlation can be found.
12. Gaskell, G., Bauer, M., Liakopoulos, M., and Marlier, E., 1994, European public opinion on biotechnology. Paper presented at the confernece 'Biotechnology in European Society,' The Hague.
13. Edition Zeitthema, 1992, Wissenschaft ja, aber..., Umfrage zur Gentechnologie, Heft, 1/92, 10-14.
14. Mikl, M., and Torgersen, H., 1996, Releases in Austria: handling virtual releases. Science and Public Policy, 23(3), 195-200.
15. Schillhab, J., 1996, Gensorgen, representative survey (Vienna: Ökokonsult Umweltforschung).
16. Karmasin, H., 1996, Einstellungen zur Gentechnologie (Vienna: Institut für Motivforschung).
17. 'Cultural orientations' referred to were similar to those originally described by Douglas, M., and Wildavsky, A., 1982, Risk and Culture (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press).
18. See also Nielsen, who attributes acceptance of medical applications to a higher 'marginal benefit': Nielsen, T. H., 1997, Biotechnologie im Lande Andersrum. Biotechnologie in der Öffentlichkeit - von der Risikodiskussion zur Technikgestaltung, edited by H. Torgersen (Vienna: ITA/OeAW).
19. This is supported by our finding that Austrians rated highly the 'traditional' methods of agriculture and animal breeding (data not shown).
20. Torgersen, H., 1996, Die regulierte Gentechnik. Technikfolgen-Abschätzung in Österreich, edited by G. Tichy (Vienna: ITA).
21. Nielsen, T. H., 1997, Biotechnologie im Lande Andersrum. Biotechnologie in der Öffentlichkeit - von der Risikodiskussion zur Technikgestaltung, edited by H. Torgersen (Vienna: ITA/OeAW).
22. Felt, U., 1994, National report: Austria. When Science Becomes Culture, edited by B. Schiele (University of Ottawa Press.)
23. Gottweis, H., and Latzer, M., 1992, Technologiepolitik. Handbuch des politischen Systems Österreichs (2nd edn) (Vienna: Manz).