Macer D R
Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Hum Gene Ther. 1992 Oct;3(5):511-8. doi: 10.1089/hum.1992.3.5-511.
Clinical trials of gene therapy are underway in different countries, and further countries can be expected to use gene therapy soon. Little remains known, however, about public perceptions of gene therapy. Nationwide mail response opinion surveys were conducted in Japan in August-October, 1991. A total of 54% of the public, 65% of the high school biology teachers, and 54% of the scientists who responded said that they would be willing to use gene therapy, and 66%, 73%, and 62%, respectively, said that they would be willing to use gene therapy on their children. There appears to be growing acceptance of gene therapy in Japan, although about one-quarter of the population are against it. The underlying reasoning behind the acceptability of human genetic manipulation and perceived benefits and risks are presented, and these were found to be generally similar to reasoning expressed in a similar survey conducted in New Zealand in May, 1990. Public perceptions are also compared to those in Europe and the United States. People perceive both benefits and risks from genetic manipulation. There appears to be more teaching of ethical, social, and environmental issues associated with genetic engineering in senior high school biology classes in New Zealand than in Japan. In Japan and New Zealand, about 90% of the public would support including discussion of social issues associated with science and technology in the curriculum.
基因治疗的临床试验正在不同国家进行，预计会有更多国家很快采用基因治疗。然而，公众对基因治疗的看法却鲜为人知。1991年8月至10月在日本开展了全国性的邮件回复意见调查。回复的公众中共有54%、高中生物教师中65%、科学家群体中54%表示愿意接受基因治疗，而分别有66%、73%和62%的人表示愿意让自己的孩子接受基因治疗。在日本，尽管约四分之一的人口持反对态度，但对基因治疗的接受度似乎在不断提高。文中呈现了人类基因操作可接受性背后的潜在推理以及感知到的益处和风险，结果发现这些与1990年5月在新西兰进行的类似调查中所表达的推理总体相似。还将公众的看法与欧洲和美国的情况进行了比较。人们既意识到基因操作带来的益处，也察觉到其风险。与日本相比，新西兰高中生物课中似乎更多地讲授了与基因工程相关的伦理、社会和环境问题。在日本和新西兰，约90%的公众支持在课程中纳入与科学技术相关的社会问题讨论。
