VCU news

By Mike Frontiero, Cary Funk and Thomas Huff

RICHMOND, Va. – Americans are extremely supportive of the giant strides being made in science and technology but also are very concerned about the moral implications of stem-cell research, according to a nationwide survey conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University.

In the survey of 1,222 adults, respondents favored medical research that uses stem cells from human embryos 48 percent to 43 percent, but there were clear divisions in viewpoint over stem cells depending on the importance of religious beliefs. Seventy one percent of those who say religion is not important to them favor stem cell research, compared with 38 percent who say religion provides a great deal of guidance in their lives. At the same time, 78 percent believe that ethical concerns over stem cell research are serious.

"VCU is taking seriously the level of concern Americans have about the moral issues of cloning," said Thomas F. Huff, Ph.D., vice provost for VCU Life Sciences and professor of biology and immunology. "We want a genuine two-way engaged discussion between scientists and citizens so that scientists can provide technical information to concerned citizens and citizens can communicate their concerns to scientists"

The cloning and stem-cell questions were part of a broad life-sciences survey released in conjunction with the dedication this month of VCU’s $28.1 million Trani Center for Life Sciences, which houses the Department of Biology, the centers for Environmental Studies and Study of Biological Complexity, a satellite lab of the Nucleic Acid Research Facility and the Bioinformatics Computational Core Laboratory Suite. The survey was conducted Aug. 23 through Sept. 2. It has a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points. The cloning and stem-cell questions and the full survey are available at www.vcu.edu/lifesciencessurvey.

While Americans seem quite positive about the benefits of science to society, a significant portion of those surveyed expressed concern about the level of attention scientific research pays to moral values and any negative consequences that scientific research may have for society. Seventy two percent of those surveyed either strongly or somewhat agree with the statement that "scientific research these days doesn’t pay enough attention to moral values."

Those most likely to express concern about attention to moral values in science identify themselves as being less informed about scientific discoveries. Seventy eight percent of those who consider themselves not very or not at all informed about scientific discoveries agree with the statement that scientific research today doesn’t pay enough attention to moral values. Seventy three percent of respondents who consider themselves "somewhat informed" about scientific discoveries agree with the statement. Those who consider themselves "very informed" about scientific discoveries, however, are less likely to express this concern: Fifty five percent of this group agree that scientific research today doesn’t pay enough attention to moral values.

While the public at large is more positive than negative about stem cell research, most agree that it is a serious ethical issue. A clear majority, 79 percent, said ethical concerns about embryonic stem cell research were either very or somewhat serious. Just 16 percent thought these issues were not too or not at all serious. More religious Americans were more likely to say the ethical concerns were serious.

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Questions asked about cloning and stem-cell research on the VCU Life Sciences survey
Aug. 23 to Sept. 2, 2001
Number of Respondents: 1,122

1. On the whole, have developments in science helped make society better or not?
Better 86%
Not Better 5%
Don’t Know 7%
No Answer 2%

2. How much do you agree or disagree with the following: "Scientific research these days doesn't pay enough attention to the moral values of society." Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree with that statement?
Strongly Agree 28%
Somewhat Agree 45%
Somewhat Disagree 15%
Strongly Disagree 8%
Don’t Know 4%
No Answer 2%

3. "Scientific research has created as many problems for society as it has solutions" (Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree with that statement?)
Strongly Agree 18%
Somewhat Agree 36%
Somewhat Disagree 26%
Strongly Disagree 14%
Don’t Know 4%
No Answer 2%

4. The technology now exists to clone or genetically alter animals. How much do you favor or oppose allowing the same thing to be done in humans? Do you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose this?
Strongly Favor 4%
Somewhat Favor 10%
Somewhat Oppose 18%
Strongly Oppose 64%
Don’t Know 2%
No Answer 1%

5. How much have you seen, read or heard about medical research involving embryonic stem cells -- a lot, a little, not much, or nothing at all?
A Lot 25%
A Little 44%
Not Much 19%
Nothing at All 10%
Don’t Know 1%
No Answer 0%

6. On the whole, how much do you favor or oppose medical research that uses stem cells from human embryos? Do you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose this?
Strongly Favor 17%
Somewhat Favor 31%
Somewhat Oppose 21%
Strongly Oppose 22%
Don’t Know 7%
No Answer 2%

7. If you wanted to know more about the issue of embryonic stem cell research, where would you go first for more information - news media, family and friends, church or religious leaders, or political leaders such as the President or Congresspersons?
News Media (includes Internet) 45%
Family and Friends 8%
Church or Religious Leaders 11%
Political Leaders 4%
Medical Journals/Library (Volunteered) 18%
Other (Volunteered) 7%
Don’t Know 6%
No Answer 2%

A variety of groups and individuals have been involved in public discussion of stem cell research. Please tell me how much you trust the information on stem cell research provided by each of the groups or individuals mentioned. (Questions asked in random order).

8. Religious leaders. (How much do you trust the information on stem cell research provided by religious leaders -- a lot, some, not too much or not at all?)
A Lot 15%
Some 39%
Not Too Much 24%
Not at All 18%
Don’t Know 3%
No Answer 1%

9. Scientific and medical researchers in the field. (How much do you trust the information on stem cell research provided by scientific and medical researchers in the field -- a lot, some, not too much or not at all?)
A Lot 39%
Some 47%
Not Too Much 9%
Not at All 3%
Don’t Know 2%
No Answer 1%

10. The news media. (How much do you trust the information on stem cell research provided by news media -- a lot, some, not too much, or not at all?)
A Lot 5%
Some 41%
Not Too Much 29%
Not at All 23%
Don’t Know 2%
No Answer 0%

11. Family and friends. (How much do you trust the information on stem cell research provided by family and friends -- a lot, some, not too much or not at all?)
A Lot 15%
Some 43%
Not Too Much 26%
Not at All 12%
Don’t Know 3%
No Answer 1%

12. Members of the U.S. Congress. (How much do you trust the information on stem cell research provided by members of the U.S. Congress -- a lot, some, not too much or not at all?)
A Lot 4%
Some 37%
Not Too Much 31%
Not at All 23%
Don’t Know 4%
No Answer 1%

13. President George W. Bush. (How much do you trust the information on stem cell research provided by President George W. Bush -- a lot, some, not too much or not at all?)
A Lot 11%
Some 38%
Not Too Much 22%
Not at All 24%
Don’t Know 4%
No Answer 1%

14. Specialists in medical ethics. (How much do you trust the information on stem cell research provided by specialists in medical ethics -- a lot, some, not too much or not at all?)
A Lot 28%
Some 53%
Not Too Much 10%
Not at All 5%
Don’t Know 3%
No Answer 1%

15. All in all, how serious do you think the ethical concerns are over embryonic stem cell research -- very serious, somewhat serious, not too serious or not at all serious?
Very Serious 43%
Somewhat Serious 36%
Not Too Serious 12%
Not at All Serious 4%
Don’t Know 4%
No Answer 1%

16. Now on a different topic. How much are you personally interested in new scientific discoveries -- a lot, some, not much or not at all?
A Lot 43%
Some 44%
Not Much 8%
Not at All 4%
Don’t Know 1%
No Answer 0%

17. How well informed are you about scientific discoveries? Are you very informed, somewhat informed, not very informed or not at all informed?
Very Informed 11%
Somewhat Informed 60%
Not Very Informed 24%
Not at All Informed 4%
Don’t Know 1%
No Answer 0%

18. How much are you personally interested in new medical discoveries -- a lot, some, not much or not at all?
A Lot 49%
Some 41%
Not Much 9%
Not at All 1%
Don’t Know 0%
No Answer 0%

19. How well informed are you about medical discoveries? Are you very informed, somewhat informed, not very informed or not at all informed?
Very Informed 11%
Somewhat Informed 64%
Not Very Informed 22%
Not at All Informed 3%
Don’t Know 0%
No Answer 0%

20. Which of these comes closest to your views about abortion? A woman should be able to get an abortion if she decides she wants one, no matter what the reason. Abortion should only be legal in certain circumstances, such as when a woman's health is endangered or when the pregnancy results from rape or incest. Abortion should be illegal in all circumstances.
Always Legal 37%
Sometimes Legal 44%
Always Illegal 14%
Don’t Know 2%
No Answer 3%

21. Regardless of whether or not you attend religious services, do you consider yourself Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish or what?
Protestant 60%
Catholic 24%
Jewish 1%
Other (Vol.) 5%
None 7%
Don’t Know 2%
No Answer 2%

22. How often do you attend religious services -- more than once a week, once a week, once or twice a month, a few times a year, seldom or never?
More Than Once a Week 16%
Once a Week 24%
Once or Twice a Month 16%
A Few Times a Year 16%
Seldom 17%
Never 9%
Don’t Know 0%
No Answer 1%

23. Whether or not you attend services, do you consider religion to be an important part of your life?

24. (IF YES) Would you say your religious beliefs provide some guidance in your day-to-day living, quite a bit of guidance or a great deal of guidance?
Not Important 14%
Some Guidance 19%
Quite a Bit 23%
A Great Deal 41%
Don’t Know or No Answer 2%

METHODOLOGY OF THE VCU LIFE SCIENCES SURVEY

The VCU Life Sciences Survey is a public opinion survey of U.S. residents. The survey was conducted by telephone from Aug. 23 to Sept. 2, 2001, with a randomly selected sample of 1,122 adults living in the continental United States The survey was sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Life Sciences. Interviewing was conducted by telephone from the facilities of the Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory at VCU in Richmond, Va., by a staff of professionally trained, paid interviewers using computer-assisted telephone interviewing software.

The sample of telephone numbers was prepared by Genesys Sampling Systems of Ft. Washington, Pa., and was designed so that all residential telephones, including new and unlisted numbers, had a known chance of inclusion. The cooperation rate for the survey was 32%. Using the CASRO response rate calculations, interviews were obtained with respondents in 27% of the known or assumed residential households in the sample.

The data were weighted to adjust for unequal probabilities of selection due to multiple telephone lines and multiple adults living in the household. In addition, the data were weighted on sex, race, age, education and region of residence to reflect the demographic composition of the adult population in the United States. Percentages reported in the text and tables are weighted, while the number of cases shown in the tables for various subgroups is the actual number of respondents.

Questions answered by the sample of 1,122 adults are subject to a sampling error of plus or minus approximately 3 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence. This means that in 95 out of 100 samples such as the one used here, the results obtained should be no more than 3 percentage points above or below the figure that would be obtained by interviewing all adults with telephones. Where the answers of subgroups are reported, the sampling error would be higher. Because of nonresponse (refusals to participate, etc.), standard calculations of sampling error are apt to understate the actual extent to which survey results are at variance with the true population values. Surveys are also subject to errors from sources other than sampling. While every effort is made to identify such errors, they are often difficult or impossible to measure. Readers making use of the results are urged to be mindful of the limitations inherent in survey research. More information on the methodology is available from the director of the survey, Dr. Cary Funk, at (804) 827-1430, or clfunk@vcu.edu. The complete survey, survey analysis, findings and actual questionnaire can be found at www.vcu.edu/lifesciencessurvey.