2008 Volume 5 Pages 73-83
The present study examines determinants of the public's attitude formation toward biotechnological applications in Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. Specifically, using quantitative survey data, we examine the relative influence of perceived benefit, risk, and moral acceptability on overall support or rejection of biotechnological applications, as well as the typical logic underlying public support or opposition of these applications. The study resulted in three major findings: (i)people distinguish sharply between different applications, and the level of support varies across each application according to different assessment of its benefit, risk and moral acceptability; (ii) perceived risk was much less influential to the overall decision of supporting or rejecting biotechnological applications than moral acceptability and perceived benefit; (iii) four prototypical logics of supporting/opposing biotechnological applications were identified. Taking all the results together, perceived moral acceptability appeared to act as a veto over deciding to support each application. Finally, we discuss the need for moral communication rather than risk communication.
