[ press Release ]
NEW JOHNS HOPKINS/KN STUDY DEFINES GRAY AREAS IN PUBLIC VIEWS ON STEM CELL RESEARCH
Congressional leaders have been briefed on results; Pew Charitable Trusts are major sponsor
Menlo Park, CA; October 14, 2005: A new Johns Hopkins University study – conducted by Knowledge Networks – brings a nuanced understanding to policy makers' understanding of views on the polarizing issue of stem cell research. The study was developed by the university's Genetics and Public Policy Center and supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts in partnership with the Phoebe R. Berman Bioethics Institute at Johns Hopkins.
Results from the study – entitled "Values in Conflict: Public Attitudes on Embryonic Stem Cell Research" – were announced at a press conference held yesterday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Among those taking part in the panel discussion of results were Kathy Hudson (Director, Genetics & Public Policy Center, Johns Hopkins University) and representatives of the Christopher Reeve Foundation and the Family Research Council.
The survey, conducted via the Internet on the projectable Knowledge Networks Panel, found that two-thirds of Americans approve overall of stem cell research. Also, 60% of participants favored a more permissive public policy toward stem cell research than the current one.
"Our collegial relationship with Knowledge Networks in fielding and analyzing this survey was invaluable," said Joan Scott, deputy director of the Genetics and Public Policy Center. "Their expertise and knowledge helped us develop a very sophisticated understanding of the public's view on this very important scientific and social issue."
The innovative survey also employed an innovative "Moral-o-Meter" – bars of color that could be set at any level – to record what level of "moral standing" participants assigned to different kinds of embryos at different stages of development. For example, one-quarter of participants said that a one-week old embryo in a Petri dish deserves maximum moral status.
The study also projects how public opinion on stem cell use may change depending on different potential advances in science – such as finding that embryonic stem cells could be used to treat diabetes, or that they could be extracted from human embryos without harming the embryo.
The Genetics and Public Policy Center is a part of the Phoebe R. Berman Bioethics Institute at The Johns Hopkins University and is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The mission of the Genetics and Public Policy Center is to create the environment and tools needed by decision makers in both the private and public sectors to carefully consider and respond to the challenges and opportunities that arise from scientific advances in genetics.
Knowledge Networks delivers quality you can use—superior methodologies, design, and analysis that give you an edge when it comes to understanding consumers and making business decisions. KN's unmatched consumer research resources include the only projectable Web-based consumer panel. The company leverages its expertise in brands, media, advertising, and analytics to provide insights that speak directly to clients' most important marketing issues. In addition, Knowledge Networks has built a substantial practice in government and academic research, an area notable for its rigorous methodology standards.
