Public Opinion About Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning

Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 68 No. 1 Pp. 131–154, © American Association for Public Opinion Research 2004; all rights reserved.DOI:10.1093 / poq / nfh009

THE POLLS—TRENDS PUBLIC OPINION ABOUT STEM CELL RESEARCH AND HUMAN CLONING

MATTHEW C. NISBET

Few science and technology–related issues have sparked as much surveyattention as the public controversy over human embryonic stem cell researchand therapeutic cloning. Interest groups, advocates, and policymakers on bothsides of the debate have taken advantage of poll results to support their claimsthat the public backs their preferred policy outcomes, and the competingcamps have staged ongoing public communication campaigns in an effort toshape public opinion. Journalists have also highlighted the results of thesesurveys, using poll figures to complement their coverage of who is aheadand who is behind in the competition to decide stem cell–and cloning-relatedpolicy (Nisbet, Brossard, and Kroepsch 2003).

The study of survey trends detailing public responses to genetic engineeringand biotechnology is not new. For example, Singer, Corning, and Lamias(1998) reviewed poll trends specific to genetic testing, gene therapy, and earlypublic reactions to animal and human reproductive cloning. Shanahan,Scheufele, and Lee (2001) examined trends related to agricultural biotechnol-ogy, and the National Science Foundation’s Science and Engineering Indica-tors surveys have tracked public opinion about genetic engineering (broadlydefined) since the 1980s (for an overview, see Miller and Kimmel 2001).These previous analyses, however, have not focused specifically on surveysmeasuring public reactions either to stem cell or therapeutic cloning research.

Background

“Stem cells” are utility and repair units of the body that serve a central func-tion in the maintenance and regeneration of organs and tissues throughout life.Adult stem cells, derived mostly from bone marrow and umbilical cord blood,have been used in research since the 1960s, with applications focused pri-marily on treatments for cancer. Stem cells from human embryos were not

MATTHEW C. NISBET is an assistant professor in the School of Communication at The Ohio StateUniversity. Address correspondence to the author; e-mail: [email protected].

132 Matthew C. Nisbet

isolated for the first time until 1998. Unlike their adult tissue counterparts,embryonic stem cells are “undifferentiated,” meaning these repair units of thehuman body have yet to be programmed to be specific to the brain, the skin,the heart, the lungs, or other bodily tissues. Research on embryonic stem cellsis therefore considered by many scientists to be instrumental in developing adiverse supply of tissues to be used in the treatment of a variety of healthproblems including AIDS, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, spinal cordinjuries, and heart disease (Johnson 2001).

The prized potential of embryonic stem cells has led to urgent pleas fromthe scientific community and research advocates for U.S. government funding.Scientists argue that they have been prevented from making significantadvances in the treatment of health problems because of a long-standing mor-atorium on using cells from human embryos in federally funded projects, lim-iting work to private and for-profit ventures (Rowley et al. 2002). Opponentsof research counter that the derivation of stem cells from human embryosrequires the embryos’ destruction, and therefore it would be morally wrongfor the government to support the research (National Bioethics AdvisoryCommittee [NBAC] 1999).

In July and August 2001 the controversy over human embryonic stem cellresearch reached the top of the U.S. political agenda. On August 9, PresidentGeorge W. Bush, in his first nationally televised address, announced a compro-mise solution that would limit federal funding to research that used only existingstem cell lines. As outlined by the Bush decision, funding could only move for-ward if it meant that new human embryos would not be destroyed. Despitepressing domestic and international political concerns, the issue remained on thepolitical agenda in late 2001 as pro-research advocates contested the suitabilityof the allocated stem cell lines and as the controversy moved into a new stagewhen it was linked to the unresolved matter of human cloning regulation.

The beginning of the redefinition of the stem cell issue went relativelyunnoticed in July 2001 as the House passed a ban (pending Senate approval)of both reproductive and therapeutic cloning (Weiss and Elperin 2001). Thelatter procedure was closely linked to stem cell research, as one of its centralapplications involves the creation of cloned embryos for use in the extractionof stem cells. Despite decisive House approval of a comprehensive ban oncloning, to date there has been little or no movement on legislation in theSenate, as neither side appears to have the votes needed for passage (Dewar2002). One bipartisan coalition of senators has proposed legislation thatwould ban reproductive cloning but would allow therapeutic cloning. Anotherbipartisan coalition of senators has proposed a total ban similar to the Houselegislation (Weiss 2002). Policy conflict has not been limited to the federallevel, as legislation related to stem cell research and/or cloning has beenpassed in more than a dozen states (Stolberg 2002). As the policy deadlockcontinues, the issue has been accompanied by a sizable amount of sen-sationalism. In one leading example, the year 2002 ended with a clone hoax

Poll Trends: Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning 133

perpetrated by Clonaid, a company affiliated with the Raëlian religion (Gradyand Pear 2002). In addition, press reports have chronicled a handful of maver-ick fertility scientists and doctors who claim to be making progress toward thebirth of a human clone (Nerlich and Clarke 2003).

Public Attention to Stem Cell Research

Given that significant media attention to the stem cell issue did not occur untilthe summer of 2001 (Nisbet 2003; Nisbet, Brossard, and Kroepsch 2003), it isnot surprising that when surveyed in the fall of 2000, only 20 percent ofAmericans reported following the issue either “very closely” or “fairlyclosely.” Even in early July 2001, only a month before Bush’s nationally tele-vised address, the proportion of Americans following the issue had onlyincreased to 38 percent. By early August, however, this number had risen toslightly more than a majority of respondents, and polls indicate that in thedays after Bush’s announcement, between 40 percent and 60 percent ofrespondents reported that they were following the issue at least somewhatclosely. Public attention to the issue remained steady even several weeks afterthe terrorist attacks of September 11 (table 1).

In an alternative measure of public awareness, 25 percent of Americansreported that they had either seen, read, or heard “a lot” about the issue in theweeks immediately following the Bush decision (table 2). A few months later,in February 2002, this figure remained relatively stable at 27 percent, though aprecise trend is difficult to observe because of slightly different questionwording. However, in September 2002, a little more than a year after Bush’sdecision, only 13 percent of respondents reported having seen, read, or heard“a lot” about the issue, whereas 46 percent of respondents reported “notmuch” or “nothing at all.” These percentages suggest that overall public atten-tion to the issue had declined from 2001 levels, with this drop in public atten-tion paralleling a drop in media attention.

In terms of issue importance, in the summer of 2001 during the peak of thedebate, more than 60 percent of respondents reported that the issue was either“very important” or “somewhat important” to them (table 3). Indeed, roughlya third of Americans reported that they had tuned in for Bush’s August 9 tele-vised address (table 4). Bush’s televised speech and the sizable audienceshould not be overlooked in terms of its potential significance for publicunderstanding of the issue. At least one historian viewed Bush’s speech asremarkable for a presidential address since Bush spent an unusual amount oftime outlining the background of the issue and the competing points of viewthat fueled the controversy (Cmiel 2001).

Relative to indicators of public attention to the issue of cloning, the availablesurvey data is fairly nonspecific to therapeutic cloning applications; instead, sur-vey items tracked public attention to reproductive cloning starting with the 1997


announcement of the cloned sheep named Dolly. Through the end of 1998,roughly half of respondents reported following developments related to cloningor having an interest in the issue, with the exception of the announcement ofcloned mice by scientists in Hawaii. However, despite the sensationalism sur-rounding the human cloning claims announced by the Raëlians during Christ-mas week of 2002, less than half of respondents reported that they werefollowing the issue either “very closely,” or “fairly closely.” (table 5)1

Public Understanding of Research and Regulation

In the early stages of the controversy, given the low levels of media attentionto the issue, the public should not be faulted for a lack of knowledge relativeto the specifics of the emerging policy debate. For example, when asked in thefall of 2000, only 17 percent of respondents reported that they knew that theNational Institutes of Health (NIH) had recently announced that the agencywould begin accepting applications for federal funding of embryonic stem cellresearch, and close to two-thirds of respondents either reported “don’t know”or refused the question (table 6). (George W. Bush put the NIH decision onhold shortly after taking office in early 2001.)

Yet by August 2001, despite considerable media coverage and despite anincrease in self-reported attention to the issue, the public still scored relativelylow in terms of knowledge. For example, although in one August 10–12 poll,60 percent of respondents reported having a “good understanding” of the issue(table 7), a few weeks later only 28 percent of respondents could correctlyidentify the criteria under which Bush’s decision would allow a stem cell lineto be eligible for funding (table 8). A majority of respondents, however, wereat least familiar with the crux of the debate, naming the destruction of humanembryos as the major reason for the controversy (table 9). However, a yearlater, in September 2002, when asked in an open-ended question to answerwhat kinds of stem cells came to mind when thinking about stem cell therapy,more than half answered “don’t know,” and only 17 percent answered embry-onic stem cells (table 10).

Specific to public knowledge of cloning, the available survey items aresomewhat limited. As early as 1986, 69 percent of the public indicated thatthey understood the meaning of the term “cloning.” However, the recent

1. Two other polls during this time period included alternative measures of awareness. A July1997 ABC News poll queried respondents with “I want to ask about some specific areas ofscience. For each, please tell me if you are very interested in news about that subject, somewhatinterested, somewhat uninterested, or very uninterested. . . . Cloning.” In this case, 18 percentindicated they were very interested, 33 percent somewhat interested, 20 percent somewhatuninterested, and 28 percent very uninterested (N = 505). A January 1998 CBS News poll askedrespondents, “How much have you heard or read about the successful cloning last year byScottish scientists of a sheep named Dolly? Have you heard or read a lot, some, not much, ornothing at all?” In response to this poll question, 24 percent indicated a lot, 46 percent some,16 percent not too closely, and 14 percent not at all closely.


debate whether to ban all forms of cloning, or to allow cloning only for med-ical research purposes appears to have complicated matters for the public. In2002, for example, a VCU Life Sciences survey indicated that only 41 percentof respondents reported they were either “very clear” or “somewhat clear” onthe differences between “reproductive” and “therapeutic” cloning procedures.In terms of knowledge of cloning policy, as of October 2002, according to asurvey conducted by The Genetics and Public Policy Center, more than half ofrespondents incorrectly assumed that the government already regulated thecloning of humans.

Moral Dimensions of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

As previously mentioned, much of the opposition to embryonic stem cellresearch from religious and conservative elites derives from the necessarydestruction of human embryos. At the base of this elite opposition are the beliefsthat a human embryo is equivalent to a human life and that embryos are deserv-ing of the same protections as other human beings. To destroy embryos wouldtherefore be morally wrong, essentially equivalent to murder (NBAC 1999).Where does the public weigh in on this matter? Previous surveys that have askedAmericans about when life begins indicate that a slight majority of respondentshave consistently indicated that life begins at “conception” (table 11).

Important to note is a recent 2003 Newsweek poll (table 12). This is the lonepoll to explore more carefully the public’s definition of “conception,” distin-guishing in response categories between a fertilized egg and an embryo.Given this additional precision in measurement, the important implication forembryonic stem cell research is that a combined 58 percent of the publicappears to believe that life begins either at the earliest stage of a fertilized eggor as an embryo.

Given this outlook on when life begins, it would not be surprising to findthat embryonic stem cell research might be morally problematic for manyrespondents. In July 2001, 54 percent of respondents agreed that embryonicstem cell research was morally wrong, but among those same respondents anambivalent majority said that although the research may be morally wrong, itmight also still be necessary. As of early August 2001, this finding remainedvirtually unchanged, but by May 2002, and later in May 2003, the percentageregarding embryonic stem cell research as morally wrong was 39 percent and38 percent, respectively (tables 13a, 13b).

There is also evidence that the type of embryo used in research matters torespondents (tables 14a, 14b). The first poll listed in table 14a asked specificallyabout research using stem cells obtained from “extra embryos” created atfertility clinics. From June 2001 to just after the Bush decision in August2001, polls indicate that a strong majority of Americans supported researchusing “extra” embryos, and this support appears to have increased slightly


from June to just after the Bush decision (table 14a). Differences in questionwording should be noted. Second, when the source of the embryos is leftunspecified, it is apparent that public support drops, as indicated in the 2001Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) poll (table 14b). In this particularcase only 48 percent of respondents indicated that they either “stronglyfavored” or “somewhat favored” the research. Importantly, when the sameexact question was asked a year later in September 2002, there appears tohave been a drop in public support over the twelve-month period, with only35 percent of respondents indicating that they favored research. Yet as ofSeptember 2003, when VCU asked the same question of respondents again,support appears to have climbed back to approximately the level in 2001.

Additional evidence that opinion varies based on the type of embryo usedas a source for stem cells is provided by the survey results detailed in tables15a and 15b. In the May 2001 poll that asked about unspecified embryos (butmentioned possible medical benefits of research) (table 15a), 58 percent ofrespondents indicated that research should be allowed. Alternatively, theGallup and Harris Interactive polls—conducted within days of each other inJuly—showed strikingly different results. In the Gallup poll, only 38 percentof respondents indicated that research should be allowed using embryoscreated specifically for research purposes. The Harris poll asked specificallyabout extra embryos left over from fertilization and found support to be muchhigher at 61 percent (table 15b). This suggests that public support for researchdepends on the type of embryo used, with generalized public support greatestfor “discarded” or “extra embryos.”

The importance of how prospective research is framed is illustrated by thefirst two polls detailed in table 16, the first sponsored by the Juvenile DiabetesResearch Foundation (JDRF) and the second by the National Council of Cath-olic Bishops (NCCB). Both poll items present strong examples of just howsensitive respondents may be to question-wording effects, especially whenpublic attention to an issue is relatively low. The JDRF poll mentions as thesource of stem cells extra embryos “donated to research” and then includes asbackground information a list of eight high-profile diseases or injuries forwhich stem cell research might provide “cures.” Not surprisingly, public sup-port for funding is measured at 65 percent. In the NCCB poll, respondents aretold, “Congress is considering whether to provide funding for experimentsusing stem cells from human embryos. The live embryos would be destroyedin their first week of development to obtain these cells.” The respondents arethen asked, “Do you support or favor using your federal tax dollars for suchexperiments?” (emphasis added). Given this information, 70 percent ofrespondents voiced their opposition to funding.

Across other polls taken in 2001 and featured in table 16, public supportappears highest for funding of stem cell research that uses either adult cells(68 percent) or extra embryos (greater than 50 percent support across allpolls). Public support for funding is lowest, by far, for stem cell research that


uses cloned embryos as sources (28 percent). Important to note is that in theJuly 2001 Gallup poll, when respondents were prompted with the responsecategories “Do you think the federal government should or should not fundthis type of research, or don’t you know enough to say?” more than half of therespondents chose the “don’t know enough to say” response. Consideringpossible changes in support for funding between 2001 and 2002, the limitednumber of available measures makes a determination somewhat difficult. Thelone 2002 poll asking about support for funding is nonspecific to the embryosource and lacks any background information in the question. This poll regis-ters support at 43 percent but includes a strong 18 percent “don’t know.”

The surveys taken in the days and weeks after Bush’s August 9, 2001,announcement indicate that the president’s decision appears to have beenreceived favorably by a majority of Americans, as the polls were fairly con-sistent in showing between 50 percent and 60 percent support (table 17). Thislevel of support is somewhat surprising given that many scientists, pro-research advocates, and news organizations publicly questioned and criticizedthe suitability of the existing stem cell lines outlined by Bush.

Reproductive and Therapeutic Cloning

As previously described, highly relevant to the issue of federal funding forembryonic stem cell research has been the debate over regulation of reproduc-tive and therapeutic cloning. Public opinion is fairly clear when it comes tosupport for reproductive cloning. (Here, in order to categorize the questions, astrict definition of the term is adopted from the 2002 report of the President’sCouncil on Bioethics, with reproductive cloning, or “cloning-to-produce-children,” including all cloning technology designed to ultimately result in thebirth of a child, no matter the stated reason or justification for such a proced-ure.) As table 18 outlines, in polls taken between 1993 and 2002, roughly 75percent or more of respondents have consistently indicated—across a widevariety of stated purposes—that they disapprove of reproductive cloning. Thefew exceptions include screening for abnormalities in embryos (52 percentdisapproved in 1993), cloning of embryos for infertility treatment (63 percentdisapproved in 1998), and cloning to produce copies of humans for organs tosave others (68 percent disapproved in 2001). Still, in all of these examples, amajority of Americans disapprove of the procedure.

Since the Dolly announcement of early 1997, more than 80 percent ofAmericans have consistently answered that reproductive cloning should notbe allowed or should be illegal (tables 19a, 19b), with one exception in aBeliefnet poll in August 2001, in which opposition to cloning was less.

Still, when the public was asked if they would favor or oppose either an“outright ban on the cloning of human beings” or “a law that would prohibitthe cloning of human beings,” subtle differences appeared (tables 20a, 20b).


In this case, starting in early 1998 and into the spring of 2002, only a slightmajority of Americans favored either an outright ban or a law that wouldprohibit cloning, suggesting that the public may be somewhat hesitant aboutbacking legislation that completely closes the door on any and all cloning-related research. In fact, when Gallup asked in March 2003, “would you favoror oppose a law that would prohibit the cloning of human beings, or are youunsure?” (emphasis added), a quarter of respondents answered that they werenot entirely certain about the matter (table 20b).

In contrast, however, a slight majority of Americans approve of cloning thatis not designed specifically to result in the birth of a human, but is designed toaid in medical research into the treatment of diseases or for the purposes ofcloning organs and adult cells (table 21). This slight majority support remainssteady between late 2001 through September 2002. The public, however,appears to assert reservations when asked specifically about the cloning ofembryos for medical research, with majorities voicing their disapproval inMay and September 2002. Additionally, when asked specifically in early 2003about legislation that would allow cloning for “laboratory research” but wouldban reproductive cloning, a little more than a third of respondents indicatedsupport for only a partial ban, whereas 40–60 percent of respondents indicatedtheir support for a total ban (table 22).

Conclusion

The controversy over human embryonic stem cell research and therapeuticcloning remains unresolved, and the issue may mark a new era of divisive anddeadlocked “biopolitics.” What the review of the polls makes clear is thatpublic attention was captured by this emerging conflict during the summer of2001 but has waned since, as media coverage has subsided, and many othercompeting issues have come to dominate the political and media agenda.Despite Americans’ elevated attention to the issue in 2001, however, itappears that the public remains in the dark about the science and the policydriving the controversy. Despite limited knowledge about the specifics of theissue, the public appears to have strong reservations about research thatdestroys embryos, preferring that if the research must move forward, scientistsmake use of either extra embryos left over from in vitro clinics, or adult cells.Additionally, evidence indicates that question wording in surveys can havestrong effects on the public’s stated response to these volatile issues. Onthe matter of cloning, the public is strongly opposed to reproductive cloning,but resolve softens when it comes to medical applications, with about a thirdof Americans supporting this research, while a substantial proportion ofAmericans remain unsure about the matter. In all, the analysis points to animportant role for the media in shaping future public judgments of stem cellresearch and human cloning. Evidence of strong question wording effects,


combined with the findings relative to low levels of public knowledge, sug-gest that the public may be highly susceptible to influence by changes inmedia attention and media characterization of the issue.

Appendix

Data Sources and Abbreviations

Many of the survey questions and results cited in this report were located using thepublic opinion online search engine (“Polls and Surveys”) of Lexis-Nexis and theKaiser Health Poll Archive, both provided by the Roper Center for Public Opinion.Keywords such as “stem cell,” “cloning,” “clone,” or “conception,” or “life begin”were used for the search. Further polls were retrieved from the data archives of“pollingreport.com” or through a Web search. Most of the surveys cited are based onnational adult samples with sample size of approximately one thousand or more, withexceptions noted. The questions cited were drawn from surveys conducted by the fol-lowing survey organizations, news organizations, policy centers, or advocacy groups:

ABC: ABC News ABC/Post: ABC News with Washington Post Alliance for Aging Research: Survey conducted by Belden, Russonello, and Stewart. Beliefnet: Beliefnet with ABC News Center: The Genetics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. The center is partof the Phoebe R. Berman Bioethics Institute at Johns Hopkins University and isfunded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. The survey was conducted by Princeton DataSource, LLC. Gallup: Gallup Organization with CNN and USA Today Harris: Louis Harris and Associates HarrisIT: Harris Interactive Ipsos: Ipsos-Reid JDRF: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Survey conducted by OpinionResearch Corporation International. Kaiser: Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, Harvard School of Public Health. Survey con-ducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. LA Times: Los Angeles Times NBC/WSJ: NBC News with Wall Street Journal. Survey conducted by Hart andTecter Research Companies. NCCB: National Council of Catholic Bishops. Survey conducted by InternationalCommunications Research. Newsweek: Newsweek magazine. Survey conducted by Princeton Survey ResearchAssociates. PewPress: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. Survey conducted byPrinceton Survey Research Associates. PewRel: Pew Research Center, Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Surveyconducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. Roper: Roper Organization


VCU: Virgina Commonwealth University Life Sciences Survey. Survey conductedby VCU Center for Public Policy. Yank.: Yankelovich Partners Poll Inc.

Public Attention to Stem Cell Research

1. I’m going to read you a list of some stories covered by news organizations in the lastmonth or so. As I read each one, tell me if you happened to follow this news story veryclosely, fairly closely, not too closely, or not at all closely. How closely did you follow thisstory? . . . Government decision about the use of federal funding for stem cell research.

2. How much have you seen, read, or heard about medical research involving embryonicstem cells—a lot, a little, not much, or nothing at all?

Kaiser 9/00 (%)

Gallupa 7/10–

7/11/01 (%)

NOTE.—* = less than .5 percent; NA = not asked. a As you may know, the federal government is considering whether to fund certain kinds of

medical research known as “stem cell research.” . . . How closely have you followed the debateabout government funding of stem cell research—very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely,or not closely at all?

b How closely have you followed the issue of federal funding of stem cell research? Have youfollowed this issue extremely closely, somewhat closely, only a little, or not at all? If you havenever heard of stem cell research, please just say so.

Gallupa

8/3–8/5/01

(%)

Gallupa 8/10–

8/12/01(%)

Ipsosb 8/10–

8/12/01(%)

c Now I’m going to read you a list of some stories covered by news organizations in the lastmonth or so. As I read each one, tell me if you happened to follow this news story very closely,fairly closely, not too closely, or not at all closely. How closely did you follow this story? . . . Thediscussion of stem cell lines eligible for research with federal funding.

Kaiser c 9/28–

10/1/01(%)

Very closely 6 9 18 12 13 21 Fairly closely 14 29 37 45 38 30 Not too closely 19 28 22 23 27 20 Not at all closely 56 32 23 20 12 27 Don’t know/refused 5 2 * NA 10 2 N 949 998 1,017 1,017 1,000 1,001

VCU 8/23–9/2/01

(%)

a As you may know, the federal government has debated whether to fund certain kinds of med-ical research known as “stem cell research.” How much have you heard about this? A lot, a little,or nothing at all?

PewRela 2/25–3/10/02

(%)

VCU 9/4–9/16/02

(%) A lot 25 27 13 A little 44 52 40 Not much 19 26 Nothing at all 10 20 20 Don’t know/refused 1 1 1 N 1,122 2,002 1,000


3. As you may know, the federal government is considering whether to fund certainkinds of medical research known as “stem cell research.” . . . How important is the issueof stem cell research to you—very important, somewhat important, not too important,or not at all important?

4. As you may know, President (George W.) Bush gave a speech tonight (August 9,2001) on stem cell research, and he announced that he would allow the government tofund research using stem cells that have been created in the past in a process thatdestroyed human embryos. The government will not fund stem cell research that woulddestroy additional embryos in the future . . . Did you happen to watch any of Bush’sspeech on stem cell research tonight, or not?

Gallup 8/3–8/5/01

(%)

Gallup 8/10–8/12/01

(%) Very important 25 36 Somewhat important 37 42 Not too important 21 13 Not at all important 12 8 No opinion 5 1 N 1,017 1,017

Gallup 8/09/01

(%)

Gallupa 8/10–8/12/01

(%)

a As you may know, President [George W.] Bush gave aspeech Thursday night [August 9, 2001] on stem cell research,and he announced that he would allow the government to fundresearch using stem cells that have been created in the past in aprocess that destroyed human embryos. The government will notfund stem cell research that would destroy additional embryos inthe future . . . Did you happen to watch any of Bush’s speech onstem cell research Thursday night, or not?

Yes, watched 32 45 No 66 55 No opinion 2 <.5 N 581 1,017


5. I will read a list of some stories covered by news organizations in the past month. AsI read each item, tell me if you happened to follow this news story very closely, fairlyclosely, not too closely, or not at all closely? . . . The cloning of a sheep by a Scottishbiologist.

Public Understanding of Research and Regulation

6. I have a few more questions about some of the news stories that I just mentioned. Ifyou’re not sure of an answer, that’s okay. Just tell me and I’ll go to the next question. . . .As you may know the government recently made a decision about the use of federalfunds to do research on stem cells that come from very early human embryos. Fromwhat you’ve seen or heard in the news, did they decide to . . . allow scientists to usefederal funds for this type of research or continue to ban the use of federal funds forthis type of research?

PewPress 3/97 (%)

PewPressa 1/98 (%)

a I will read a list of some stories covered by news organizations this past month. As I read eachitem, tell me if you happened to follow this news story very closely, fairly closely, not too closely,or not at all closely . . . Plans by a Chicago scientist [Richard Seed] to open a clinic for cloningpeople.

b I will read a list of some stories covered by news organizations this past month. As I read eachitem, tell me if you happened to follow this news story very closely, fairly closely, not too closely,or not at all closely . . . The cloning of mice by scientists in Hawaii.

PewPressb 8/98 (%)

c Now I will read a list of some stories covered by news organizations this past month. As I readeach item, tell me if you happened to follow this news story very closely, fairly closely, not tooclosely, or not at all closely? . . . A religious group [Raëlians] claiming to have successfullycloned a human being.

PewPressc 1/03 (%)

Specific event Dolly Richard Seed Mice Raëlian claim

Very closely 17 21 6 14 Fairly closely 33 29 15 30 Not too closely 26 24 24 30 Not at all closely 23 26 52 24 Don’t know/refused 1 <.5 3 2 N 1,206 1,218 1,189 1,218

Kaiser 10/00

(N = 949) (%)

Allow scientists to use federal funds for this type of research (correct answer) 17 Continue to ban the use of federal funds 18 Don’t know/refused 65


7. Do you personally feel that you have a good basic understanding of the stem cellissue, or don’t you know that much about it?

8. Now, I have a few more questions about some of the news stories that I just men-tioned. If you’re not sure of an answer, that’s okay. Just tell me and I’ll go to the nextquestion. . . . You may have seen or heard news reports about the National Institutes ofHealth releasing a list of stem cell lines eligible for research with federal funding. Asfar as you know, under President [George W.] Bush’s current policy, will stem celllines developed in the future be eligible for federal funding for research if they meetcertain criteria, or will only those named recently be eligible for federal funding?

9. I have a few more questions about some of the news stories that I just mentioned. Ifyou’re not sure of an answer, that’s okay. Just tell me and I’ll go to the next question. . . .You may have seen or heard news reports about the controversy involving federalfunding of stem cell research. From what you may have seen or heard in the news,what is the major reason for this controversy? . . . Human embryos are destroyed in theresearch process; stem cell research is potentially dangerous to the adult subjects whoparticipate in the research trials; there is not enough money in the federal budget tofund stem cell research.

ABC 8/10–8/12/01 (N = 1,040) (%)

Have a good understanding 60 Don’t know much 38 No opinion 2

Kaiser 9/28–10/1/01 (N = 1,001)

(%) Stem cell lines developed in the future will be eligible if they meet certain criteria 14 Only those stem cell lines recently named by the National Institutes of Health (correct answer) 28 Don’t know/refused 58

Kaiser 9/28–10/1/01 (N = 1,001)

(%) Human embryos are destroyed in the research process (correct answer) 51 Stem cell research is potentially dangerous to the adult subjects who participate in the research trials 7 There is not enough money in the federal budget to fund stem cell research 9 Don’t know/refused 33


10. There is a new branch of medicine that uses stem cell therapy to develop new treat-ments for disease. There are several different kinds of stem cells. What kind of stem cellscome to your mind when you think about stem cell therapy?

Moral Dimensions of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

11. Some people feel that human life begins at the moment of conception. Others feelthat human life does not begin until the baby is actually born. Do you, yourself, feelthat human life begins at conception, at the time of birth, or at some point in between?

VCU 9/02

(N = 1,000) (%)

NOTE.—VCU coded open-ended responses into categories.

Don’t know 55 Embryonic stem cells 17 Specific uses of stems cells for treatment of disease 9 No Answer 7 Other response 4 Newborns/umbilical cord/placenta 4 Other response 4 Adult stem cells 1 Unborn fetus/aborted fetus/abortions 2 Fetal stem cells (unspecified) 2

Gallup 5/81 (%)

Ropera 10/81 (%)

NOTE.—NA = not asked. a There is a good deal of discussion these days on when human life begins and ends. Is it your

view that life begins at conception or that life begins at birth? Those respondents indicating“somewhere in between” volunteered that specific response.

b Do you believe that life begins at conception, or at birth, or somewhere in between, or haven’tyou heard enough about that yet to say?

LA Timesb,c 3/89 (%)

c Nationwide sample of 2,406 adults, plus an oversample of 1,177 women. Men and womenwere weighted to their proper proportion in the population.

d Do you believe that life begins at conception, or at birth, or somewhere in between?

LA Timesd 6/00 (%)

At conception 54 59 41 53 At birth 17 30 15 12 Some point in between 22 6 21 29 No opinion 7 5 NA 6 Haven’t heard enough to say NA NA 10 NANot sure/refused NA NA 7 NAN 1,519 2,000 3,583 2,071


12. In your opinion, when does human life begin . . . when a man’s sperm fertilizes awoman’s egg, when an embryo is implanted in a woman’s uterus, when a fetus is via-ble—that is, is able to survive outside the womb, or at birth?

13a. The kind of stem cell research the government is considering involves humanembryos that have been created in medical clinics by fertilizing a woman’s egg outsidethe womb. An embryo may be implanted into a woman’s womb to develop into a baby.If an embryo is not implanted into a woman’s womb to develop into a baby, it may bedestroyed, either by being discarded or by being used for medical research. Somescientists believe this type of medical research could lead to treatments for suchdiseases as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease, and spinal cord injuries. . . . Whichcomes closest to your view of this kind of stem cell research: it is morally wrong and isunnecessary, it is morally wrong but may be necessary, it is not morally wrong andmay be necessary, or it is not morally wrong but is unnecessary?

Newsweek 5/03 (%)

Sperm fertilizes egg 46 Implanted in womb 12 Fetus is viable 24 At birth 11 Don’t know/refused 7 N 1,009

Gallup 7/10 (%)

Gallupa 8/10 (%)

Source Embryo Embryo

Morally wrong, and is unnecessary 20 18 Morally wrong, may be necessary 34 31 Not morally wrong, may be necessary 35 42 Not morally wrong, may be unnecessary 4 5 No opinion 7 4 Depends situation (volunteered)

NOTE.—NA = not asked. a I would like to ask about a specific type of research on stem cells developed from human

embryos that have been created outside a woman’s womb. This kind of stem cell research destroysthe embryos but may help find treatments for major diseases. As you may know, fertility clinicsincrease a woman’s chance to have a child by fertilizing several embryos, but only a few are implantedin her womb to enable her to have a baby. Some stem cells are developed from the remaining embryos

NA NANot a moral issue (volunteered)

that the fertility clinics usually discard. Which comes closest to your view of this kind of stem cellresearch—it is morally wrong and is unnecessary; it is morally wrong but may be necessary, it isnot morally wrong and may be necessary, or it is not morally wrong but is unnecessary?

NA NA N 998 1,017


13b. Next, I’m going to read you a list of issues. Regardless of whether or not youthink it should be legal, for each one, please tell me whether you personally believethat in general it is morally acceptable or morally wrong. How about . . . medicalresearch using stem cells obtained from human embryos?

14a. Sometimes fertility clinics produce extra fertilized eggs, also called embryos, thatare not implanted in a woman’s womb. These extra embryos either are discarded, orcouples can donate them for use in medical research called stem cell research. Somepeople support stem cell research, saying it’s an important way to find treatments formany diseases. Other people oppose stem cell research, saying it’s wrong to use anyhuman embryos for research purposes. What about you? Do you support or opposestem cell research?

Gallup 5/02 (%)

Embryo

NOTE.—NA = not asked.

Gallup 5/03 (%)

Embryo

Morally acceptable 39 38 Morally wrong 52 54 No opinion 6 5 Depends on situation (volunteered) 2 3 Not a moral issue (volunteered) 1 NA N 1,015 1,005

Beliefnet 6/01 (%)

ABCa 7/26–7/30/01

(%)

Ipsosb 8/10–8/12/01

(%)

NOTE.—NA = not asked. a Sometimes fertility clinics produce extra fertilized eggs, also called embryos, that are not

implanted in a woman’s womb. These extra embryos either are discarded, or couples can donatethem for use in medical research called stem cell research. Some people support stem cellresearch, saying it’s an important way to find treatments for many diseases. Other people opposestem cell research, saying it’s wrong to use any human embryos for research purposes. Whatabout you? Do you support or oppose stem cell research?

b As you may know, this kind of so-called stem cell research is being used by scientists trying tofind cures for diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, or diabetes. It involvesusing destroyed embryos discarded from fertility clinics that no longer need them. Do you favoror oppose using discarded embryos to conduct stem cell research to try to find cures for diseasessuch as those I mentioned?

Source Extra embryos Extra embryos Extra embryos

Support/Favor 58 63 75 Oppose 30 33 19 Don’t know 12 4 6 No answer NA NAN 1,022 1,352 1,000


14b. On the whole, how much do you favor or oppose medical research that uses stemcells from human embryos—do you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhatoppose, or strongly oppose this?

15a. Please tell me if you agree with each of the following statements strongly orsomewhat? . . . Scientists should be able to use stem cells obtained from very earlyhuman embryos to find cures for serious diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s?Strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree, don’t know/refused.

15b. One of the issues involved in this type of research is whether or not the embryosused were developed specifically for stem cell research. Do you think the federalgovernment should or should not allow scientists to fertilize human eggs specificallyfor the purpose of creating stem cells? Yes, should allow; no, should not allow; noopinion.

VCU 9/01 (%)

VCU 9/02 (%)

VCU 9/03 (%)

Strongly favor 17 12 17 Somewhat favor 31 23 30 Somewhat oppose 21 22 21 Strongly oppose 22 29 23 Don’t know 7 11 6 No answer 2 4 3 N 1,122 1,000 1,003

Alliance for Aging Research 5/01 (%)

Source Embryos unspecified

Strongly favor 37 Somewhat favor 21 Strongly oppose 11 Somewhat oppose 21 Don’t know 6 No answer N 1,000

Gallup 7/10–7/11/01 (%)

Harrisa 7/12–7/16/01 (%)

a Stem cells come from embryos left over from in vitro fertilization, which are not usedand are normally destroyed. Many medical researchers want to use them to develop treat-ments, or to prevent diseases, such as diabetes, Alzheimers’s, or Parkinson’s disease. Onbalance, do you think this research should or should not be allowed?

Research embryos Extra embryos

Should allow 38 61 Should not allow 54 21 No opinion 8 18 N 1,022 1,011


16. As you may already know, a stem cell is the basic cell in the body from which allother cells arise. Medical researchers have been able to isolate stem cells from excesshuman embryos developed through in vitro fertilization and fetal tissue that has beendonated to research. The medical researchers believe that human stem cells can bedeveloped as replacement cells to cure diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzhe-imer’s, cancer, heart disease, arthritis, burns, or spinal cord problems. Do you favor thefunding of stem cell research by the National Institutes of Health?

NOTE.—NA = not asked. a Stem cells are the basic cells from which all of a person’s tissues and organs develop. Congress

is considering whether to provide funding for experiments using stem cells from human embryos.The live embryos would be destroyed in their first week of development to obtain these cells. Doyou support or oppose using your federal tax dollars for such experiments?

b The federal government supports funding for a variety of medical research. Do you think fed-eral funding for medical research should or should not provide funding for stem cell research?

c As you may know, the federal government is considering whether to fund certain kinds ofmedical research known as “stem cell research.” . . . . . . Do you think the federal governmentshould or should not fund this type of research, or don’t you know enough to say?

d The kind of stem cell research the government is considering involves human embryos that havebeen created in medical clinics by fertilizing a woman’s egg outside the womb. An embryo may beimplanted into a woman’s womb to develop into a baby. If an embryo is not implanted into awoman’s womb to develop into a baby, it may be destroyed, either by being discarded or by being

JDRF 1/12–

1/15/01 (%)

NCCBa 6/1–

6/5/01 (%)

Beliefnetb

6/20– 6/24/01

(%)

Gallupc

7/10– 7/11/01

(%)

Gallupd

7/10– 7/11/01

(%)

HarrisIT e

7/17– 7/18/01

(%)

ABC f 7/26–

7/30/01(%)

Sourcementioned

Extra embryos Embryo None None

Extra embryos None None

Should fund 65 24 60 30 54 43 60 Should not fund

25 70 31 13 39 27 36

Don’t know 9 5 9 57 7 27 3 Depends (volunteered)

NA NA NA NA NA 3 NA

N 1,004 1,013 1,022 998 998 1,015 1,352

Gallupg 8/3–

8/5/01 (%)

Galluph 8/3–

8/5/01 (%)

Gallupi

8/3–8/5/01

(%)

Gallupj

8/3–8/5/01

(%)

Gallupk

8/3–8/5/01

(%)

PewRell 2/25–

3/10/02(%)

Sourcementioned None

Extraembryos

Clonedembryos

Researchembryos Adult None

Should fund 55 55 28 46 68 43 Should not fund

29 40 65 49 26 35

Don’t know 13 3 1 1 5 18 Depends (volunteered)

3 2 5 4 1 4

N 1,017 1,017 1,017 1,017 1,017 2,002


used for medical research. Some scientists believe this type of medical research could lead to treat-ments for such diseases as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease and spinal cord injuries. . . . Giventhisinformation, do you think the federal government should or should not fund this type of research?

e Based on what you have read or heard, do you think that the federal government should orshould not fund stem cell research?

f The federal government provides funding to support a variety of medical research. Do you thinkfederal funding for medical research should or should not include funding for stem cell research?

g As you may know, the federal government is considering whether to fund certain kinds ofmedical research known as “stem cell research.” . . . Do you think the federal government shouldor should not fund this type of research?

h I would like to ask about a few specific types of research on stem cells developed from humanembryos that have been created outside a woman’s womb. This kind of stem cell research destroysthe embryos but may help find treatments for major diseases. . . . As you may know, fertility clin-ics increase a woman’s chance to have a child by fertilizing several embryos, but only a few areimplanted in her womb to enable her to have a baby. Some stem cells are developed from theremaining embryos that the fertility clinics usually discard. Do you think the federal governmentshould or should not fund research on stem cells from this kind of embryo?

i Some stem cells may be developed from embryos produced by cloning cells from a livinghuman being rather than by fertilizing a woman’s egg. Do you think the federal governmentshould or should not fund research on stem cells from this kind of embryo?

j I would like to ask about a few specific types of research on stem cells developed from humanembryos that have been created outside a woman’s womb. This kind of stem cell researchdestroys the embryos but may help find treatments for major diseases. . . . Some stem cells aredeveloped from embryos that are created in laboratories specifically for the purpose of conductingthis research and not to help women have a child. Do you think the federal government should orshould not fund research on stem cells from this kind of embryo?

k There is another kind of research using stem cells that come just from adults and do not come fromembryos at all. The research results in no injury to the person from whom the stem cells are taken. Doyou think the federal government should or should not fund research on this kind of stem cells?

l Do you think the federal government should or should not fund stem cell research?

17. As you may know, President [George W.] Bush gave a speech tonight [August 9,2001] on stem cell research, and he announced that he would allow the government tofund research using stem cells that have been created in the past in a process thatdestroyed human embryos. The government will not fund stem cell research that woulddestroy additional embryos in the future. . . . Overall, do you approve or disapprove ofBush’s decision on stem cell research?

a George W. Bush has said he will allow limited federal funding for research on stem cellstaken from human embryos. Given what you know about the issue, do you approve or disapproveof Bush’s decision to allow limited federal funding for embryonic stem cell research?

b As you may know, President [George W.] Bush gave a speech Thursday night [August 9,2001] on stem cell research, and he announced that he would allow the government to fundresearch using stem cells that have been created in the past in a process that destroyed humanembryos. The government will not fund stem cell research that would destroy additional embryosin the future. . . . Overall, do you approve or disapprove of Bush’s decision on stem cell research?

c President [George W.] Bush announced that federal funding would be allowed only forresearch using embryos that have already been destroyed. Scientists can continue to grow and har-

Gallup 8/9/01

(%)

ABCa 8/10–8/12/01

(%)

Gallupb 8/10–8/12/01

(%)

Ipsosc 8/10–8/12/01

(%) Approve 50 56 60 62 Disapprove 25 32 34 32 No opinion 25 12 6 6 N 581 1,040 1,017 1,000


vest stem cells from those experiments already under way. President Bush also announced that nomore embryos could ever be destroyed for future research that uses federal funds. Do you approveor disapprove of President Bush’s decision to allow federal funding of stem cell research alreadyunder way using destroyed embryos, but banning any further destruction of embryos for futurestem cell research?

Reproductive and Therapeutic Cloning

18. Now here are a few questions about a different topic—a process called cloning. Asyou may have read or heard, medical researchers are on the verge of discovering a wayto create new embryos, called clones, from a fertile egg. The original embryo and itsclones can grow into babies that are identical copies of each other. A cloned embryocan be frozen and put into a mother’s womb for development at any time. Do youapprove or disapprove of the use of cloning for each of the following purposes? . . . Tomake it possible for societies to clone and reproduce large numbers of individuals withgenetically desirable traits?

Yank. 1993 (%)

Yank.a 1993 (%)

Yank.b 1993 (%)

Yank.c 1993 (%)

Yank.d 1993 (%)

Application Select traits

Select genetic child

Later twin

Screen abnormalities

Babies for

organs

Approve 6 16 17 40 19 Disapprove 89 80 78 52 78 Don’t know 5 4 5 8 3 N 500 500 500 500 500

Yank.e 1998 (%)

Yank.f 1998 (%)

Yank.g 1998 (%)

Yank.h 2/01 (%)

Yank.i 2/01 (%)

Application Infertility Humans for organs

Later twin Clone lost child

Humans for organs

Approve 33 19 13 10 28 Disapprove 63 78 86 88 68 Don’t know 4 3 2 2 4 N 1,031 1,031 1,031 1,015 1,015

Yank.j 2/01 (%)

Yank.k 2/01 (%)

Yank.l 2/01 (%)

Yank.m 2/01 (%)

Yank.n 2/01 (%)

Application Gay couples Super- humans

Later twin Infertile couples

Save life of person

Approve 10 6 10 20 21 Disapprove 86 92 88 76 74 Don’t know 4 2 2 4 5 N 1,015 1,015 1,015 1,015 1,015


a . . . To establish embryo banks from which prospective parents could select a child withgenetic characteristics they desire?

b . . . To make it possible for parents to have a twin child at a later date, if they want to? c . . . To make it easier for scientists to screen embryos for inherited abnormalities? d . . . To produce babies whose vital organs can be used to save the life of others?e Do you approve or disapprove of the use of cloning for each of the following purposes?. . . To

provide infertile couples using test-tube fertilization with more embryos to increase their chancesof conceiving?

f . . . To produce babies whose vital organs can be used to save the life of others? g . . . To make it possible for parents to have a twin at a later date? h Do you think each of the following justifies creating a human clone or don’t you think so?. . .

To allow parents who have lost a child to create a clone of the child they lost? Yes, no, not sure. i . . . To produce copies of humans whose vital organs can be used to save the lives of others?j . . . To allow gay couples to have children using on their own genes? k . . . To produce genetically superior human beings? l . . . To allow parents to have a twin child at a later date, if they wanted to? m . . . To help infertile couples to have children without having to adopt? n . . . To save the life of the person who is being cloned?o Do you approve or disapprove of cloning that is designed specifically to result in the birth of a

human being? p Do you favor or oppose scientific experimentation on the cloning of human beings? q Do you favor or oppose each of the following? How about. . . cloning that is designed specifi-

cally to result in the birth of a human being?

19a. If it becomes possible, do you think the cloning of humans should or should not beallowed?

Gallupo 11/01 (%)

Pew Pressp 3/02 (%)

Gallupq 5/02 (%)

Application Human birth Experiment Human birth

Favor 9 17 8 Oppose 88 77 90 Don’t know 3 6 2 N 1,025 2,002 1,012

ABC 2/97 (%)

Yank.a 2/01 (%)

a Do you think scientists should be allowed to clone human beings, or don’t you think so? b If it becomes possible, do you think the cloning of humans should or should not be allowed? c Do you think scientists should be allowed or should not be allowed to try to clone human beings?

Gallupb 5/01 (%)

CBSc 5/02 (%)

Purpose Reproductive Reproductive Reproductive Reproductive

Should allow 10 10 9 11 Should not allow 87 88 89 85 Don’t know 3 2 2 4 N 1,122 1,015 1,012 647


19b. Scientists have cloned animals, using basic genetic material from one animal toproduce an offspring with the exact genetic makeup. . . . Scientists say it’s also possibleto clone humans, using basic genetic material from one person to produce a child withthe exact same genetic makeup. Do you think it should be legal or illegal to clonehumans in the United States?

a Some scientists want to use human cloning for medical treatments only. They would produce afertilized egg, or human embryo, that’s an exact genetic copy of a person, and then take cells fromthis embryo to provide medical treatments for that person. Supporters say this could lead to med-ical breakthroughs. Opponents say it could lead to the creation of a cloned person because someonecould take an embryo that was cloned for medical treatments and use it to produce a child. Do youthink human cloning for medical treatments should be legal or illegal in the United States?

b Do you think that cloning that is designed specifically to result in the birth of a human beingshould be legal or illegal in the United States?

20a. Do you favor or oppose an outright ban on the cloning of human beings?

20b. Would you favor or oppose a law that would prohibit the cloning of human beings?

Beliefnet 8/01 (%)

Beliefneta 8/01 (%)

Gallupb 1/03 (%)

Purpose Reproductive Medical treatments ReproductiveShould be legal 11 33 11Should be illegal 87 63 86Don’t know 2 4 3N 1,024 1,024 1,000

NBC/WSJ 1/98 (%)

NOTE.—NA = not asked.

NBC/WSJ 1/02 (%)

Favor a ban 58 54 Oppose a ban 36 39 Don’t know 6 7 Unsure NA NARefused NA NA N 1,005 1,011

Gallup 3/02 (%)

Gallupa 3/02 (%)

NOTE.—NA = not asked.a Would you favor or oppose a law that would prohibit the cloning of human beings, or are you

unsure?

Favor prohibition 53 39 Oppose prohibition 41 36 Don’t know 6 NAUnsure NA 25 Refused 1 1 N 1,012 1,024


21. Do you approve or disapprove of cloning that is not designed specifically to resultin the birth of a human being, but is designed to aid medical research that might findtreatments for certain diseases?

NOTE.—NA = not asked. a Do you approve or disapprove of each of the following? . . . cloning of human organs or body

parts that can then be used in medical transplants? b How about . . . cloning of human cells from adults for use in medical research? c How about . . . cloning of human embryos for use in medical research? d Do you favor or oppose using human cloning technology if it is used only to help medical

research develop new treatments for disease—do you strongly favor (21 percent), somewhat favor(24 percent), somewhat oppose (13 percent), or strongly oppose (38 percent) this? In the table theresponse categories are collapsed.

22. As you may know, Congress is considering several proposals to ban human clon-ing. Which of the following positions do you most agree with—human cloning shouldnot be banned; only human cloning that leads to the birth of a human should be banned,but cloning for purposes of laboratory research should be allowed; or all human clon-ing should be banned?

Gallup 11/01 (%)

Gallupa 5/02 (%)

Gallupb 5/02 (%)

Gallupc 5/02 (%)

VCUd 9/02 (%)

Application Medical research

Organs for transplant

Adult cells for research

Embryos for research

Medical research

Approve 54 59 51 34 45 Disapprove 41 37 44 61 51 Don’t know 5 4 5 5 2 No answer NA NA NA NA 1 N 1,025 1,012 1,012 1,012 1,000

Gallup 1/13–1/16/03

(%)

LA Timesa 1/30–2/2/03

(%)

NOTE.—NA = not asked. a Which of these statements comes closest to your view on human cloning? I support a com-

plete ban on all research into human cloning without exception. I support a ban on human cloningthat would still allow research on cloned embryos to learn more about diseases. I oppose any lawthat restricts research into human cloning.

Should not be banned 4 11 Should be allowed for purposes of research 34 41 Should be banned 59 43 No opinion 2 5 Other 1 NAN 1,000 1,385


References Cmiel, Kenneth. 2001. “The President’s Textual Relations.” New York Times, Aug. 19, p. 14. Dewar, Helen. 2002. “Anti-Cloning Bills Stall in Senate; Vote Unlikely Soon.” Washington Post,

June 14, p. A4. Grady, Denise, and Robert Pear. 2002. “Claim of Human Cloning Provokes Harsh Criticism.”

New York Times, Dec. 29, p. 18. Johnson, Judith A. 2001. Stem Cell Research: CRS Report for Congress, August 10. Washington,

DC: Congressional Research Service. Miller, John D., and Linda Kimmel. 2001. Biomedical Communications: Purposes, Audiences,

and Strategies. New York: Academic Press. National Bioethics Advisory Committee (NBAC). 1999. Ethical Issues in Human Stem Cell

Research. Vol. 1. Rockville, MD: NBAC. Nerlich, Brigette, and David D. Clarke. 2003. “Anatomy of a Media Event: How Arguments

Clashed in the 2001 Human Cloning Debate.” New Genetics and Society 22:43–59. Nisbet, Matthew C. 2003. “The Controversy over Stem Cell Research and Medical Cloning:

Media, Policy, and Public Opinion” Ph.D. dissertation, Cornell University. Nisbet, Matthew C., Dominique Brossard, and Adrianne Kroepsch. 2003. “Framing Science: The

Stem Cell Controversy in an Age of Press/Politics.” Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics (8)2:36–70.

President’s Council on Bioethics. 2002. Human Cloning and Human Dignity. New York: PublicAffairs.

Rowley, Janet D., Elizabeth Blackburn, Michael S. Gazzaniga, and Daniel W. Foster. 2002.“Harmful Moratorium on Stem Cell Research.” Science 297:1957.

Shanahan, James, Dietram A. Scheufele, and Eungjung Lee. 2001. “The Polls—Trends: Attitudesabout Agricultural Biotechnology and Genetically Modified Organisms.” Public OpinionQuarterly 65:267–81.

Singer, Eleanor, Amy Corning, and Mark Lamias. 1998. “The Polls—Trends: Genetic Testing,Engineering, and Therapy.” Public Opinion Quarterly 62:633–64.

Stolberg, Sheryl G. 2002. “States Pursue Cloning Laws as Congress Debates.” New York Times,May 26, p. 1.

Weiss, Rick. 2002. “Hatch to Support Bill Allowing Stem Cell Study; Decision on Embryo Clon-ing Is a Setback for Conservatives.” Washington Post, May 1, p. A2.

Weiss, Rick, and Juliet Elperin. 2001. “House Votes Broad Ban on Cloning.” Washington Post,August 1, p. A1.

Public Opinion About Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning

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