A comparative study of knowledge and attitudes about genetic engineering : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

Genetic engineering can be defined basically as the manipulation of genetic material. The field of genetic engineering encompasses a broad range of techniques for the manipulation of genetic material. A lot of issues have been raised and discussed about which methods of genetic engineering are acceptable, and which ones are not. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that the level of knowledge of genetics influences attitudes about the uses of genetic engineering. A two-part survey was used to test the participants' knowledge of genetics and their attitudes about its uses. Survey results identified correlations between knowledge level and some, but not all, of the attitudinal statements. Contrary to expectations, the correlation was that the more a person knows about genetics, the more he disagreed with the attitude statements he read.