A biotechnology barometer.(Opinion Pulse)

Only 10 percent of Americans say they have seen, read, or heard a great deal about the use of biotechnology in food production. At the other end of the spectrum, 54 percent say they don't have much or any information at all about it. Still, a majority believe it is unlikely that bioengineered foods will present a serious health hazard. Europeans are more skeptical than Americans. Americans are more likely to think about things such as including vegetables and fruits in their diets than they are to think about whether what they eat is bioengineered.

 
Question: How much have you...? 
 
Seen, read, or heard a great deal recently regarding the use of 
biotechnology in the production of food that is sold in grocery 
stores                                                            10% 
 
Some                                                              35 
 
Not too much                                                      30 
 
Nothing at all                                                    24 
 
Source: The Mellman Group and Public 
 
Opinion Strategies for the Pew Initiative on 
Food and Biotechnology, January 2001. 
 
Note: Table made from bar graph. 
 
Question: Overall, would you say you...? 
 
       Support the use of biotechnology 
       in agriculture and food production   Oppose 
 
1999                 51%                      41% 
 
2000                 48                       41 
 
2001                 52                       38 
 
2003                 47                       45 
 
Source: The Gallup Organization, latest that of July 2003. 
 
Note: Table made from bar graph. 
 
Question: Overall, would you say you...? 
 
                       Europe   United states 
Strongly support the 
use of biotechnology 
in agriculture 
and food production      9%         14% 
 
Moderately support       25         34 
 
Moderately oppose        31         20 
 
Strongly oppose          35         25 
 
Note: European sample = Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and 
Polland. 
 
Source: For the European countries, Market & Opinion Research 
International (MORI) June-July 2002. For the United States, Harris 
Interactive, June 2002. Both surveys were supported by the Chicago 
Council of Foreign Relations and the German Marshall Fund. 
 
Note: Table made from bar graph. 
 
Question: From what you know or have heard, do you believe...? 
 
       Foods that have been produced 
       using biotechnology pose a serious 
       health hazard to consumers           Do not 
 
1999              27%                        53% 
 
2000              30                         51 
 
2001              30                         53 
 
2003              34                         54 
 
Source: The Gallup Organization, latest that of July 2003. 
 
Note: Table made from bar graph. 
 
Question: Thinking about the food you eat, for each of the following 
please say if it is something you...? 
 
                      Actively try to      Actively try   Don't think 
                      include in my diet   to avoid         about 
 
Vegetables                   91%               2%              7% 
 
Fruits                       89                2               9 
 
Chicken/Other 
poultry                      84                5              11 
 
Grains                       81                6              12 
 
Fish/seafood                 76               10              14 
 
Dairy products               70               13              16 
 
Beef/red meat                60               23              17 
 
Carbohydrates                50               20              28 
 
Soda or pop                  36               41              23 
 
Sugar                        29               43              27 
 
Salt                         27               45              28 
 
Artificially 
sweetened foods              22               50              27 
 
Fat                          16               62              21 
 
Produce grown 
with pesticides              12  ...