X
(All Fields are required)
Report

U.S. Public Opinion on Uses of Genetic Information and Genetic Discrimination


Quick Summary

While Americans are generally very supportive of the use of genetic information to improve their own health and the health of their families, 92 percent are wary that this same information could be used in ways that harm them, according to a public opinion survey by the Genetics and Public Policy Center conducted in late February and early March of 2007.

U.S. Public Opinion on Uses of Genetic Information and Genetic Discrimination
Full Report PDF Download Chart Icon

Description of Survey

The 18-question survey was conducted between 2/27/07 and 3/4/07 and administered online to a random sample of U.S. adults 18 years or older. Of the 1,832 prospective participants contacted, 1,199 responded for a 65% completion rate. Based on this sample size, the maximum margin of sampling error is +/- 2.7 percentage points. In order to correct for small sampling errors, reported results are weighted with respect to U.S. benchmarks for age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, and education.
Date added:
Apr 24, 2007
Project:
Genetics and Public Policy Center
References:
Collapse All
close

References:

1 Apse KA, et al. 2004. Perceptions of genetic discrimination among at-risk relatives of colorectal cancer patients. Genetics in Medicine 6:510-516.

Related Resources

Pew Funds Genetics and Public Policy Center's New Consumer Genetics Project

Press Release

The Pew Charitable Trust has awarded $750,000 to the Genetics and Public Policy Center for a new project focused on consumer protections for applications of genetic testing.

More

The Genetic Town Hall

Report

The Genetics and Public Policy Center’s Public Consultation Project on Genes, Environment, and Health consisted of focus groups, interviews with community leaders, a survey, and a series of town halls. This report summarizes the five town hall sessions, which took place from March-May 2008 in Jackson, Mississippi; Kansas City, Missouri; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Phoenix, Arizona; and Portland, Oregon.

More

Survey Finds Wide Public Support for Nationwide Study of Genes, Environment and Lifestyle

Press Release

Four in five Americans support the idea of a nationwide study to investigate the interactions of genes, environment and lifestyle, and three in five say they would be willing to take part in such a study, according to a survey released today.

More

President Bush Signs Long-Awaited Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act

Press Release

President Bush today signed into law the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), providing vital protection for Americans against the misuse of genetic test results by heath insurers and employers.

More

Marketing of Unproven Genetic Tests a Threat to Public Health

Press Release

No mechanism currently exists to ensure that genetic tests are supported by adequate evidence before they go to market, or that marketing claims are truthful and not misleading, according to a policy analysis to be published April 4 in Science. Misleading claims about genetic tests may lead health-care providers and patients to make inappropriate decisions about which tests to take and how to use genetic tests that have potential for profound medical consequences, the authors argue.

More