Public Understanding of Biotechnology in Germany:
An Interdisciplinary Approach.
Jürgen
Hampel, Centre of Technology Assessment in Baden-Württemberg
Attitudes towards genetic engineering are sceptical in
the German public, and it seems, that the attitudes are more sceptical in
Germany than in most other countries. Sceptical and negative attitudes can be
observed especially in the field of applications of genetic engineering in
agriculture, food production and animal breeding. In the public debate, mainly
in the political and economical system, the sceptical attitudes of the public
often is considered as a result of an irrational emnity towards technology,
which is leading to a delay of technological innovations nowadays usually seen
as being very important for the economic development.
Despite the fact, that attitudes
towards technology and public understanding of technology are topics, which are
very important in highly industrialized countries trying to create new markets
and jobs by introducing technological innovations, empirical knowledge about the
public understanding of technology is rather modest. Most studies are not beyond
simple agreement-rejection scales.
This is one of the reasons, why we know
rather little about the reasons, why people are rejecting or supporting new
technologies. A lot of survey research has been done in that field, but the
analyses are on a rather abstract level or based on concepts that technical
knowledge is the most important variable for the explanation of attitudes
towards technology.
Discussions about new technologies are
reflecting also different value orientations, different goals and different
views of society and nature, different “Leitbildee” about the paths of
agricultural production and a different understanding of science and technology.
Public discourses on new technologies are leading to a desired result only if
they reflect this value basis of social discourses. Because this background of
the public debate on genetic engineering has not been studied systematically,
differentiated and scientifically sounded estimations of attitudes on genetic
engineering, which are beyond general estimates, are not possible with the
knowledge we already have. The previous surveys and the few qualitative analysis
we already have are neither sufficient for the analysis of the motives of the
supporters and opponents of genetic engineering nor for the understanding the
dynamics of the shaping of public opinion.
To facilitate a sound analysis of the
attitudes of the German public towards genetic engineering, which is necessary
for facilitating a public discourse on this topic, the “Centre of Technology
Assessment in Baden-Württemberg” has initiated a concerted action project to
close this knowledge gap. The field of the public understanding of technology is
of high complexity. For this reason this concerted action project integrates
researchers in different scientific disciplines, sociology, psychology, media
analysis, network analysis and research on the effects of the media. Not only
different scientific disciplines are integrated in this analysis, but also
different research methods using both qualitative and quantitative methods of
social research.
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