VCU Poll Reveals Reasons to be Encouraged.

A nationwide study of 1,002 adults released by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has painted a far more accurate, if still incomplete, picture of Americans attitudes towards all forms of stem cell research and human cloning.

Among the most encouraging results is that far more people believe that the "greatest promise for discovering new treatments for disease" is in stem cells found in umbilical cord blood (37%) than from embryonic stem cells (only 14%).The survey results can be read at www.vcu.edu/uns/Releases/2005/oct/102405a.html.

According to the university's web page, the VCU Life Sciences Survey was conducted by telephone nationwide September 1429. It is the fifth annual VCU Life Sciences Survey conducted by the VCU Center for Public Policy through its Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory. The margin of error was plus or minus 3%.

* Among the highlights of the poll was a section titled "More Americans Favor Embryonic Stem Cell Research; But See More Promise in Research Using Other Sources of Stem Cells." Both statements reflect what respondents said but need clarification and amplification.

The VCU explanation notes, "Even with a greater number of Americans saying they support embryonic stem cell research, only 14 percent believe that embryonic stem cell research holds the greatest promise for discovering new treatments for disease, compared to other types of stem cell research. Thirty-seven percent believe that research using stem cells from other sources, such as an umbilical cord, holds the greatest promise, while 7 percent feel that research using adult stem cells holds the greatest promise for disease treatment."

Interestingly, two-thirds of the respondents said they "were either very clear or somewhat clear on the difference between stem cells that come from human embryos; stem cells that come from adults; and stem cells that come from other sources, such as an umbilical ...