Biotech Updates

Study Shows How Trust in Organizations and the Media Cycle Predict Support for GM in Australia

September 10, 2014

Attitudes on GM were investigated by Matthew Marquez of La Trobe University, Australia, and colleagues. They surveyed over 8,000 Australians over 10 years and found that Australians were less positive toward GM animals compared to GM plants for food, especially during the years where media coverage was high. Modelling methods revealed that positive attitudes toward various GM organisms for food were significantly associated with higher trust in scientists and regulators and lower trust in environmental organizations. Public trust in scientists and watchdogs was a stronger predictor of attitudes toward the use of GM plants for food than animals, but only during the periods when media coverage was low.

Read more on the results of the study at http://pus.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/07/24/0963662514542372.abstract.