Public understandings of biotechnology in New Zealand : factors affecting acceptability rankings of five selected biotechnologies

Abstract

In a study of public perceptions about biotechnology eleven focus groups were conducted throughout New Zealand. In the course of each focus group the participants were asked to rank for acceptability five different exemplars of biotechnology:a treatment of sheep to reduce their methane emission; a throat lozenge which placed beneficial bacteria in the mouth; a potato that was genetically modified by the addition of a synthetic toad gene to resist potato rot; the use of stem cells from embryos to treat Alzheimer's Disease; and the use of a genetically modified bacterium to break down DDT residue in the soil. This report focuses on the factors that participants considered when making their acceptability ranking decisions.