Evans John H, Schairer Cynthia E
University of California, San Diego, USA.
Public Underst Sci. 2024 Oct;33(7):884-901. doi: 10.1177/09636625241229196. Epub 2024 Mar 12.
Gene drive could be a powerful tool for addressing problems of conservation, agriculture, and human health caused by insect and animal pests but is likely to be controversial as it involves the release of genetically modified organisms. This study examined the social determinants of opinion of gene drive. We asked a representative sample of the U.S. public to respond to a description of a hypothetical application of a gene-drive mosquito to the problem of malaria and examined the relationship of these responses with demographic and ideological beliefs. We found strong general approval for the use of gene-drive mosquitos to address malaria, coinciding with the concern about a possible environmental impact of modified mosquitos and that gene drives represent "too much power over nature." Among the determinants we measured, respondent acceptance of scientism and trust that scientists are advancing the public's interest were the greatest predictors of views of gene drive.
基因驱动可能是解决由昆虫和动物害虫引发的保护、农业及人类健康问题的有力工具，但由于它涉及转基因生物的释放，很可能引发争议。本研究调查了对基因驱动看法的社会决定因素。我们让美国公众的一个代表性样本对关于基因驱动蚊子在疟疾问题上的假设应用描述做出回应，并研究了这些回应与人口统计学及意识形态信念之间的关系。我们发现，对于使用基因驱动蚊子来解决疟疾问题，公众普遍表示强烈赞同，同时也对转基因蚊子可能产生的环境影响以及基因驱动代表“对自然的过度掌控”表示担忧。在我们测量的决定因素中，受访者对科学主义的接受程度以及对科学家正在推进公众利益的信任，是对基因驱动看法的最大预测因素。
