Transcript Slide 1

Public Opinion on
Animal Cloning
Prepared for ViaGen
November 2005
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
2
Introduction
• Consumers have not
heard much about
animal biotechnology
How much have you heard
about animal biotechnology?
Nothing
at all
45%
26%
A little
• Consumers get
impressions from
popular media
21%
Some
A lot
6%
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
3
Introduction
• Opinions are
unformed
• Public opinion is
soft and
changeable
Self-Reported Knowledge
About Biotechnology
22%
Nothing
55%
Very Little
21%
A fair amount
A great deal
2%
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
4
Animal cloning now and in the future…
One third believe animal cloning is currently
used to breed animals; two-thirds expect it
to be used in the future
Currently
used
Will be
used in
future
29%
64%
5
A third believe that cloning is
currently used to breed animals
Percent Said Breeding Technique is Currently Used
by Farmers and Ranchers
Artificial
insemination
71%
In vitro
fertilization
51%
47%
Biotechnology
Embryo
transfer
Cloning
37%
29%
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.)
6
A majority believe that cloning will be
used to breed animals in the future
Percent Said Breeding Technique Will Be Used by
Farmers and Ranchers in Future
Artificial
insemination
88%
In vitro
fertilization
Biotechnology
Embryo
transfer
Cloning
78%
74%
71%
64%
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.)
7
New question gives consumers
the option to “consider buying”
meat & milk
Buy
Consider
buying
Never buy
Meat
29%
Milk
29%
34%
35%
35%
33%
8
Would you purchase meat from the offspring
of cloned animals if FDA determines safe…?
29
WOULD BUY
34
WOULD CONSIDER BUYING
35
WOULD NOT BUY
21
Continue to buy it as always
8
Buy it, but plan to find out more
34
Consider buying it after you find out more
35
Never buy it again
Don't know
2
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.)
9
Would you purchase milk from the offspring
of cloned animals if FDA determines safe…?
29
WOULD BUY
35
WOULD CONSIDER BUYING
33
WOULD NOT BUY
22
Continue to buy it as always
7
Buy it, but plan to find out more
35
Consider buying it after you find out more
33
Never buy it again
Don't know
3
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.)
10
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
11
Acceptable Reasons for Animal Cloning
Percent Said Acceptable Reason to Use Animal Cloning Techniques
To improve the overall health of animals used for food-healthy animals means healthy food
In order to breed healthier animals that require fewer
antibiotics and growth hormones
68%
67%
In order to improve the nutrition of meat and milk, for
example, by breeding livestock with leaner meat
64%
In order to breed animals immune to diseases like BSE, or
mad cow disease
64%
In order to save rare animal breeds and maintain genetic
diversity
In order to accelerate the reproduction of the healthiest and
most productive livestock to improve overall animal health
63%
62%
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…
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Information that Increases Comfort
Percent More Comfortable With Food from Animals Bred Using Cloning Techniques
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 generationswith 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
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?
13
Credible Sources of Information
Percent Trust a Great Deal or Moderate Amount
69%
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
Physicians and doctors
67%
Veterinarians
67%
The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration
66%
The U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services
63%
The Environmental Protection
Agency
59%
The National Academy of Sciences
59%
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…
14
Credible Sources of Information, continued
Percent Trust a Great Deal or Moderate Amount
55%
The World Health Organization
53%
College and university scientists
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,
sometimes referred to as PETA
36%
35%
The Center for Science in the Public Interest
The Consumer Federation of America
The Sierra Club
30%
24%
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…
15
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
16
For more information:
Jennifer Sosin
President
[email protected]
Mark David Richards
Senior Vice President
[email protected]
Chris Hockley
Senior Analyst
[email protected]
KRC Research
700 13th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
+1 202 628 1118