Priest Susanna Hornig, Bonfadelli Heinz, Rusanen Maria
Department of Journalism, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843-4111, USA.
Risk Anal. 2003 Aug;23(4):751-66. doi: 10.1111/1539-6924.00353.
Using results from the 1999 Eurobarometer survey and a parallel telephone survey done in the United States in 2000, this study explored the relationship between levels of knowledge, educational levels, and degrees of encouragement for biotechnology development across a number of medical and agricultural applications. This cross-cultural exploration found only weak relationships among these variables, calling into question the common assumption that higher science literacy produces greater acceptance (whether or not mediated by lower perceived risk). The relationship between encouragement and trust in specific social institutions was also weak. However, regression analysis based on "trust gap" variables (defined as numerical differences between trust in specific pairs of actors) did predict national levels of encouragement for several applications, suggesting an opinion formation climate in which audiences are actively choosing among competing claims. Differences between European and U.S. reactions to biotechnology appear to be a result of different trust and especially "trust gap" patterns, rather than differences in knowledge or education.
本研究利用1999年欧洲晴雨表调查的结果以及2000年在美国进行的一项平行电话调查，探讨了在一系列医学和农业应用中，知识水平、教育水平与生物技术发展鼓励程度之间的关系。这项跨文化探索发现，这些变量之间的关系很微弱，这对“较高的科学素养会带来更大接受度（无论是否由较低的感知风险介导）”这一普遍假设提出了质疑。鼓励与对特定社会机构的信任之间的关系也很微弱。然而，基于“信任差距”变量（定义为对特定几对行为者的信任之间的数值差异）的回归分析确实预测了几个应用领域的国家鼓励水平，这表明存在一种意见形成氛围，在这种氛围中，受众会在相互竞争的主张中积极做出选择。欧洲和美国对生物技术的反应差异似乎是不同信任模式，尤其是“信任差距”模式的结果，而非知识或教育方面的差异。
