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Public Opinion on Animal Cloning Prepared for ViaGen November 2005
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Public Opinion on Animal Cloning
Prepared for ViaGenNovember 2005
2
Method
• Nationally representative survey of adults 18 years or older
• Telephone interviews conducted on October 21 to 23, 2005
• Data weighted to match census data proportions for age, gender, education, race, and region
• Margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at 95% confidence level
• Nationally representative survey of adults 18 years or older
• Telephone interviews conducted on October 21 to 23, 2005
• Data weighted to match census data proportions for age, gender, education, race, and region
• Margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at 95% confidence level
3
Introduction
• Consumers have not heard much about animal biotechnology
• Consumers get impressions from popular media 6%
21%
26%
45%
A lot
Some
A little
Nothingat all
How much have you heard about animal biotechnology?
Source: Cogent Research for the International Food Information Council (IFIC). Nationally representative survey of 1,000 adults, March 2005. Margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points
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Introduction
• Opinions are unformed
• Public opinion is soft and changeable 2%
21%
55%
22%
A great deal
A fair amount
Very Little
Nothing
Self-Reported Knowledge About Biotechnology
Source: Schulman, Ronca, & Bucuvalas, Inc. (SRBI) for the Food Policy Institute at Rutgers University. Nationally representative survey of 1,201 adults, Feb. 27-April 1, 2003. Margin of error is ±3 percentage point
5
29%
64%
Currentlyused
Will beused infuture
One third believe animal cloning is currently used to breed animals; two-thirds expect it to be used in the future
Animal cloning now and in the future…
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A third believe that cloning is currently used to breed animals
First, I’m going to read you a list of some assisted reproduction technologies that are sometimes used to breed animals used for meat, milk and eggs. For each one, please tell me if that breeding technique is currently used by farmers and
ranchers to breed animals. (RANDOMIZE LIST.)
71%
51%
47%
37%
29%
Artificialinsemination
In vitrofertilization
Biotechnology
Embryotransfer
Cloning
Percent Said Breeding Technique is Currently Used by Farmers and Ranchers
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A majority believe that cloning will be used to breed animals in the future
Now I’m going to read the same list of animal breeding techniques again. This time, for each one, please tell me if you think that animal breeding technique will be used by farmers and ranchers in the future. (RANDOMIZE LIST.)
88%
78%
74%
71%
64%
Artificialinsemination
In vitrofertilization
Biotechnology
Embryotransfer
Cloning
Percent Said Breeding Technique Will Be Used by Farmers and Ranchers in Future
8
29%
34%
35%
29%
35%
33%
Buy
Considerbuying
Never buy
New question gives consumers the option to “consider buying” meat & milk
Meat
Milk
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Would you purchase meat from the offspring of cloned animals if FDA determines safe…?
If the FDA determines that meat from the offspring of cloned animals is safe, and you learned that a food product you regularly purchase included meat from the offspring of cloned animals, would you...? (READ RESPONSES IN ORDER.
ACCEPT ONLY ONE RESPONSE.)
2
35
34
8
21
35
34
29
Don't know
Never buy it again
Consider buying it after you find out more
Buy it, but plan to find out more
Continue to buy it as always
WOULD NOT BUY
WOULD CONSIDER BUYING
WOULD BUY
10
Would you purchase milk from the offspring of cloned animals if FDA determines safe…?
If the FDA determines that milk from the offspring of cloned animals is safe, and you learned that a food product you regularly purchase included milk from the offspring of cloned animals, would you...? (READ RESPONSES IN ORDER.
ACCEPT ONLY ONE RESPONSE.)
3
33
35
7
22
33
35
29
Don't know
Never buy it again
Consider buying it after you find out more
Buy it, but plan to find out more
Continue to buy it as always
WOULD NOT BUY
WOULD CONSIDER BUYING
WOULD BUY
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USDA Economic Research Service: Consumer Behavior is Hard to Predict"Comparing survey evidence available before the commercial
introduction of rbST with an econometric analysis of milk demand afterwards indicates that the survey evidence did not accurately predict the effects of rbST on milk demand.
The tests found no effect on the introduction of rbST on aggregate fluid milk consumption. Whether this apparent absence of rbST impact in the retail milk market occurred because consumers essentially trusted government regulation, were unaware of the introduction of rbST, or were not willing to incur the cost of making adjustments is uncertain.
Even intense controversy may have minimal or no effect on total consumer demand. Consumer demand for milk was unaffected, which suggests that other products could be similarly unaffected.”
Source: Economic Research Service of the USDA, “Consumer Acceptance of Biotechnology: Lessons from the rbST Experience,” by Lorna Aldrich and Noel Blisard, Dec. 1998
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Acceptable Reasons for Animal Cloning
Next, I’m going to read you some reasons that farmers and ranchers might use animal cloning techniques. For each one, I’d like to know whether you would say that reason is acceptable or unacceptable. (First/next), would you say it is
an acceptable or unacceptable reason to use animal cloning techniques…
68%
67%
64%
64%
63%
62%
To improve the overall health of animals used for food--healthy animals means healthy food
In order to breed healthier animals that require fewerantibiotics and growth hormones
In order to improve the nutrition of meat and milk, forexample, by breeding livestock with leaner meat
In order to breed animals immune to diseases like BSE, ormad cow disease
In order to save rare animal breeds and maintain geneticdiversity
In order to accelerate the reproduction of the healthiest andmost productive livestock to improve overall animal health
Percent Said Acceptable Reason to Use Animal Cloning Techniques
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Information that Increases Comfort
Animal cloning is carefully regulated. Three different government agencies ensure the safety of animal cloning in livestock for food, including the FDA, the Department of Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
57
Similar to in vitro fertilization, cloned animals begin in a laboratory, but then are born to their mothers in the usual way and grow up just like other animals.
57
The National Academy of Sciences reviewed all research on animal cloning and determined that there are no food safety concerns posed by the offspring of cloned animals.
54
Evidence from over 100 scientific studies conducted over several decades from many generations-with large families of cloned livestock-shows that cloning is a safe method for reproducing animals.
53
The companies that use cloning techniques to reproduce animals are strongly opposed to human cloning, as are international bodies such as the United Nations and most governments.
53
Animal cloning techniques have improved dramatically over the past decade. Cloned livestock are just as healthy as other animals.
51
Animal cloning does not involve genetic modification—cloning involves making a genetic replica of an ancestor without modifying its genes.
50
Animal cloning is the most promising development in animal breeding in fifty years. 42
Percent More Comfortable With Food from Animals Bred Using Cloning Techniques
Next, I’m going to read you more information about animal cloning techniques. For each one, tell me if that statement makes you more comfortable or less comfortable with food from animals bred using cloning techniques. Would you say that statement makes
you more comfortable or less comfortable with food from animals bred using reproductive cloning techniques?
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Credible Sources of Information
I’m going to mention some people and groups. Please tell me how much you would trust what each has to say about the use of cloning in farming, ranching, and food production—a great deal, a moderate amount, just a little, or not at all. If
you’ve never heard of something, just say so. Let’s start with…
69%
67%
67%
63%
59%
59%
66%
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
Physicians and doctors
Veterinarians
The U.S. Food and DrugAdministration
The U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services
The Environmental ProtectionAgency
The National Academy of Sciences
Percent Trust a Great Deal or Moderate Amount
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Credible Sources of Information, continued
I’m going to mention some people and groups. Please tell me how much you would trust what each has to say about the use of cloning in farming, ranching, and food production—a great deal, a moderate amount, just a little, or not at all. If
you’ve never heard of something, just say so. Let’s start with…
55%
53%
36%
30%
24%
35%
The World Health Organization
College and university scientists
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,sometimes referred to as PETA
The Center for Science in the Public Interest
The Consumer Federation of America
The Sierra Club
Percent Trust a Great Deal or Moderate Amount
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Conclusion
• Consumers have heard almost nothing about cloning as a reproductive technology to breed farm animals
• Imagery and impressions come from popular movies
• Attitudes are soft
• Behavior is hard to predict; the jury is still out on whether animal cloning will affect consumers choices
For more information:
Jennifer SosinPresident
Mark David RichardsSenior Vice President
Chris HockleySenior Analyst
KRC Research700 13th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005+1 202 628 1118
