Awareness and Acceptance of Biotechnology Issues among Youth, Undergraduates, and Adults

Authors

Susan Fritz, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Dann E. Husmann, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Gary Wingenbach, Texas A&M University
Tracy Rutherford, Texas A&M University
Valerie Egger, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Preeti Wadhwa, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Date of this Version

December 2003

Comments

Published in AgBioForum, 6:4 (2003), pp. 178–184. Copyright © 2003 AgBioForum. Used by permission. Also available online at: http://www.agbioforum.org/

Abstract

To be successful both domestically and internationally, biotechnology must establish an acceptable position in the sociopolitical framework. This United States (US) study assessed levels of awareness and acceptance of biotechnology issues among youth (n = 283), undergraduate students (n = 330), and adults (n = 166). The percentage of adults who were aware of how biotechnology would affect food, health, and the environment was almost three times that of youth respondents. It was concluded that consumer groups would most likely be impacted by accurate, unbiased agricultural biotechnology information delivered through the Internet and newspapers that originates from reliable, accessible, and science-based sources.