3. Public opinion on genetically modified foods and trust in scientists associated with these foods (2023)

Genetically modified (GM) foods contain at least one ingredient that comes from a plant with an altered genetic makeup.^sixteenGenetic modification, also known as genetic engineering, often introduces new and desirable characteristics to plants, such as increased resistance to pests. Many American crops are grown with genetically modified seeds, including a large proportion of soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola. As a result, most processed foods in the US contain at least one genetically modified ingredient.

Despite the increasing use of GM crops in the past 20 years, most Americans say they know little about GM foods. And many people seem to have “soft” views on the health effects of GM foods, saying they aren't sure whether GM foods are better or worse for their health. When asked which of the three positions best fits their views, roughly half of Americans (48%) say the health effects of GM foods are no different than those of other foods, 39 % say GM foods are worse for health and one in ten (10%) say these foods are better for health.

Approximately one in six (16%) Americans are very concerned about the issue of genetically modified foods. These most deeply concerned Americans overwhelmingly believe that GM foods pose health risks. Most of this group also believe that GM foods can cause problems for the environment and health problems for the general population.

while a2016 Report of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicinesuggests that there is a scientific consensus that GM foods are safe, most Americans perceive disagreement in the scientific community about whether or not GM foods are safe to eat. And, only a minority of Americans perceive that scientists have a solid understanding of the health risks and benefits of GM foods.

Perhaps part of this skepticism stems from people's concerns about the motives of research scientists. About three in 10 Americans say that research results on GM foods are often influenced by researchers' desire to help their industries. And people deeply concerned about this issue are particularly skeptical about the influence of industries behind the survey results. A minority of three in 10 Americans say that scientific research findings on GM foods are often influenced by the best available evidence. People who know more about scientific topics are generally more likely to trust information from scientists and view the results of scientific research on GM foods in a more favorable light.

Public awareness of genetically modified foods is widespread

Foods with genetically modified ingredients have been available to Americans since the mid-1990s, when American farmers began using genetically modified crop varieties designed to better tolerate herbicides and resist pests.¹⁷Today, many processed foods in the United States contain genetically modified ingredients. More than 90% of the soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola grown in the United States come from genetically modified seeds. Genetically modified ingredients are widely used in processed foods, from breakfast cereals to cooking oils and corn chips.

Most Americans have heard of GM foods; 29% heard “a lot”, about half (52%) heard “a little”. Approximately one in five (19%) Americans have heard “absolutely nothing” about GM foods.

People's perception of the amount of GM food they eat is often considered a benchmark for the public's familiarity with GM food. The argument is that people who see themselves asnoEating GM foods must be largely ignorant of the fact that much of today's food supply contains at least some GM ingredients, particularly foods that use genetically modified corn or corn oil.

Overall, only 11% of Americans believe that most of the food they eat contains GM ingredients, another four in ten (40%) say that some of the food they eat contains GM ingredients. About half of the public (48%) say they don't eat GM foods or don't eat too much.

Familiarity with transgenic foods is linked to the perception that people have of their own consumption. About 23% of those who say they have heard or read a lot about GM foods say that most of what they eat contains GM ingredients. Another 42% of this group say they eat some GM foods. Only 1% of those who say they have never heard of GM foods believe that most of the food they eat contains GM ingredients.

About half of Americans see no difference between GM foods and other foods, while a sizeable minority say GM foods are a health risk.

Several observers have suggested that Americans' limited familiarity with GM foods suggests that people's views of GMOs are "soft" and therefore more likely to change over time, and potentially sensitive to differences. in the wording of the search questions.

The Pew Research Center survey explored this possibility by first asking about the safety of eating GM foods with an explicit option for those unsure of their opinions to record this uncertainty. Approximately a quarter of adults (26%) said they were unsure of their views on this topic. A follow-up question among the unsure asked about their "bias" on whether GM foods were generally better for health, worse, or neither. About 58% of that group took a neutral position that GM foods were neither better nor worse for health than foods without GM ingredients.

Overall, about 39% of Americans say GM foods are worse for their health after combining responses to the first question with "biased" opinions on the second question. Approximately half (48%) of Americans say that GM foods are neither better nor worse for their health than other foods, and a minority of 10% say that GM foods are better for their health.

The Pew Research Center survey asked respondents who say foods with GM ingredients are worse for health to rate the magnitude of the risk from eating GM foods. More Americans rate the risk as medium (15% of all US adults) or high (20% of all US adults) than rate the health threat from GM foods as low (only 4% of all US adults) .

People who have heard or read more about GM foods are much more likely to consider them worse for their health. Those who are less familiar with GM foods are comparatively more inclined to say that the effect of GM foods is neither better nor worse than that of non-GM foods. For example, about half (50%) of those who have heard or read a lot about GM foods say that these foods are worse for their health. In contrast, only two in ten (20%) of those who have not heard of GM foods believe that these foods are worse for their health. Six out of ten who had not heard of genetically modified foods before responding to the survey say that these foods are neither better nor worse for health.

People who have heard or read a lot about genetically modified foods are also much more likely to say that the health risks of genetically modified foods are high (31% vs. 9%).

Younger, Concerned Adults Say GM Foods Are a Health Risk

People's opinions about the health effects of GM foods tend to vary based on their own levels of concern about the issue, as well as their age.

Three quarters of people who are very concerned about GM foods say that these foods are worse for their health than foods without GM ingredients. On the other hand, only 17% of those who do not care or do not care much about this issue say that GM foods are a health risk. Those who are "somewhat" concerned about this issue fall in the middle with 51% of this group saying that GM foods are worse for their health.

Younger adults are more likely than older adults to consider the health risks of GM foods. Approximately half (48%) of 18-29 year olds say that GM foods are worse for their health than non-GM foods. By comparison, about three in ten (29%) of people 65 and older say the same thing.

There are modest differences in opinions by gender. Women are more likely to say that foods with GM ingredients are worse for their health (42% vs. 36%), while men are more likely to say that foods with GM ingredients are neither better nor worse for their health. health (53% vs. 44%). A2014 Pew Research Center surveyit also found that women were more likely than men to say that it is generally not safe to eat GM foods.

Frequent consumers of organic foods are also relatively more inclined to view GM foods as harmful to health. But people who focus on healthy, nutritious eating are just as likely as those with little or no focus on it to say that GM foods are worse for your health than other foods.

Other factors, including people's education and general level of scientific knowledge, are only modestly linked to beliefs about the health effects of GM foods. while a relativePew Research Center reportfound that climate and energy issues are sharply divided along political lines, Democrats and Republicans holding similar views on the effects of eating GM foods.

Who is especially concerned about the issue of genetically modified foods?

One in six (16%) American adults say they are very concerned about the issue of GM foods. About 37% are concerned about this issue. About three in ten Americans don't care much (31%) and 15% don't care at all about GM foods.

Those who are very concerned about the issue of GM foods are also more likely to follow the news on the subject. Around 68% of those who are involved with this issue follow the news on the subject very or somewhat closely. By contrast, only about a quarter of other Americans follow news about GM foods a little or very closely.

Those who care a lot about this problem are more likely to report increased awareness of the problem. Some 68% of those who care deeply about this issue say they have heard or read a lot about GM foods. In contrast, 28% of those who care a little and just 15% of those who don't or don't care much say they have heard or read a lot about GM foods.

Americans' food choices tend to be tied to how concerned they are with the issue of genetically modified foods.

About three in ten (31%) heavy consumers of organic food are very concerned about GM food, compared to just 6% among those who eat very little organic food.

Vegans/vegetarians are more likely to be concerned about the issue of GM foods; 39% of people who are at least mostly vegan or vegetarian are very concerned about this issue.

People with food allergies are slightly more likely to be concerned about genetically modified foods (22% are very concerned vs. 14% among people without food allergies or intolerances).

Women are more likely to care about GM food than men (20% vs. 12%).

There are only modest differences in concern about this issue among other demographic and educational groups. Older adults aged 65 and over are slightly less likely than their younger counterparts to be deeply concerned about GM foods. Those with a high school education or less are slightly less likely than other educational groups to be concerned about the issue of GM foods. And those with household incomes below $30,000 a year are slightly less concerned about this issue than those with higher incomes.

There are no differences by political party in the degree of concern of people for the issue of transgenic foods.

Public expectations about the effects of GM foods are mixed; some fear that GMOs will affect the environment and public health

Americans have mixed expectations about the likely effects of genetically modified foods, with many expressing both optimism and pessimism about the consequences of genetically modified foods.

Most of the public expects GM foods to increase the world's food supply. A quarter say this is very likely and another 44% say it is very likely. A slightly smaller majority say it is very likely (20%) or very likely (36%) that GM foods will result in more affordable food.

At the same time, about half of Americans say that GM foods will cause health and environmental problems. 18% say it is very likely and 31% say it is very likely that GM foods create problems for the environment. And similar proportions say it is very (16%) or very likely (33%) that GM foods cause health problems for the general population.

People who are most concerned about the issue of GM foods are much more likely to predict health and environmental problems from these foods.

People who are most personally concerned with the issue of GM foods are especially concerned that such foods could cause environmental and health problems for society. Some 58% of people with deep personal concern about GM foods say that these foods are very likely to cause harm to the environment; a similar proportion (53%) expect GM foods to result in health problems for the general population. In contrast, most of those who are less involved with the issue say that environmental and health problems from GM foods are unlikely or not at all likely.

These expectations of risks to society from GM foods are in keeping with the wide differences between these groups in their views on the health risks associated with GM food consumption.

More men expect positive effects from GM foods; more women expect negative effects

Men and women have slightly different expectations of GM foods. Men are more optimistic, while women are more pessimistic about the likely impact of GM foods on society.

Men are more likely than women to expect GM foods to increase the global food supply (29% of men vs. 21% of women say this is very likely). Similarly, men are more likely than women to say that GM foods will reduce food costs (25% vs. 16% who say this is very likely). However, women are more likely than men to think that GM foods will create problems for the environment (21% of women vs. 14% of men say this is very likely) and cause health problems to the population as a whole (20% women vs. 11% men saying this is very likely).

These modest differences in expectations by gender are in line with other studies. for example, one2016 Pew Research Center studyfound that women are more cautious than men about emerging biomedical technologies to enhance human skills, and asurvey 2014found that women are less likely to wait for future technological changes, in general, to improve people's lives.

There are modest generational differences in the expected effects of GM foods. Adults 65 and older are less pessimistic than their younger counterparts about the likely effects of GM foods on society; more adults 65 and older say that GM foods do not harm the environment or public health or are likely to occur. But younger adults, especially those between the ages of 18 and 29, are more likely to think that GMOs will result in more affordable food.

Those with high scientific knowledge are more optimistic in their expectations that GM foods will bring benefits to society. About four in ten (41%) of those with high scientific knowledge say that GM foods are very likely to increase the world's food supply. And 35% of those high in science say GM foods are very likely to lead to more affordable food. By comparison, only 11% of those with little scientific knowledge say GM foods are likely to increase the global food supply, and 13% say GM foods are likely to make food more affordable.

Education, which is closely linked to levels of scientific knowledge, shows a similar pattern. Graduate degree holders are more inclined to say that GM foods are likely to increase the world's food supply and lead to more affordable food for those with less education.

Americans have differing views on scientists and research related to GM foods.

Public opinions from scientists and understanding of the health risks and benefits of GM foods are mixed and often skeptical. Most Americans perceive considerable disagreement among scientific experts about whether or not GM foods are safe to eat. Although most people trust scientists more than any of the many other groups to provide complete and accurate information on the health effects of GM foods, only a minority of the public say they have a lot of trust in scientists. to do this. At the same time, most Americans say that scientists should play an important role in policy decisions about GM foods, but so do small farm owners and the general public. Fewer Americans say food industry leaders should play a big role at the policy table.

But the views of GM food scientists are often similar between those who have deep personal concern about the issue of GM food and those who have less concern. Differences are most pronounced between these groups when it comes to views of industry influence on scientific research findings and trust in food industry leaders to provide complete and accurate information on health effects. of GM foods. In other ways, those most concerned about this issue differ only modestly from other Americans in their views of scientists and scientific research on GM foods.

People who tend to know more about scientific topics, in general, tend to have a more positive view of the understanding of scientists and view positively the influences on their research findings on the effects of GM foods on health. .

Relatively few Americans perceive a broad scientific consensus on the safety of GM foods.

A recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine concluded that there is no convincing evidence that genetically modified crops have caused health or environmental problems.¹⁸Other reviews of the scientific literature have found that almost all researchers working on this topic think that GM foods are just as safe as non-GM foods.¹⁹Similarly,a 2014 Pew Research Center surveyfound that 88% of members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and 92% of Ph.D. Biomedical scientists have said that it is safe to eat genetically modified foods.

But in the public eye, scientists seem divided on the safety of GM foods. Only a small minority (14%) of Americans say that almost all scientists agree that GM foods are safe. Another 28% say that more than half of scientists say that GM foods are safe. But 53% of American adults say half or less of scientists agree that GM foods are safe to eat.

People's own views on the safety of foods with GM ingredients are closely related to their perceptions of the scientific consensus. For example, those who view GM foods as harmful to health are especially inclined to say that there is little consensus among scientists about the safety of GM foods. Previous studies from the Pew Research Center have found a similar pattern when it comes to scientific consensus perceptions and beliefs aboutof Climate Changeas well as beliefs aboutevolution.

At all levels of concern on this issue, few see a broad consensus among scientists that GM foods are safe to eat. Those who care a lot about food are slightly more likely to see a majority consensus among scientists (50% vs. 37% who care little and 43% who care little or not at all about food). .

Similarly, people who have heard or read a lot about GM foods are much more likely to see a consensus among scientists that GM foods are safe than those who have not heard or read about it.

A minority of Americans say that scientists fully understand the health effects of genetically modified foods.

Most of the public have at least some reservations about scientists' understanding of the health effects of GM foods. Only 19% of Americans say scientists fully understand the health risks and benefits of eating GM foods, while another 44% say scientists fully understand them. About a third of Americans say scientists understand the risks and benefits of eating GM foods poorly or not well. For comparison purposes, in a2014 Pew Research Center surveytwo-thirds (67%) of US adults said that scientists generally lack a clear understanding of the health effects of GM crops.

Those who perceive a broad scientific consensus on the safety of GM foods are more likely to think that scientists understand this issue. About 45% of those who think that almost all scientists agree that GM foods are safe to eat also say that scientists understand this issue very well.

Paradoxically, people who are very concerned about GM foods tend to say that scientists fully understand the health risks and benefits of eating GM foods (32%). By comparison, fewer people who don't care or care very much about this issue give scientists high marks for their understanding of the health effects of GM foods. Although, roughly equal parts of each group say that scientists understand the effects of GM foods at least reasonably well. A similar pattern occurs among those focused on healthy and nutritious eating; more in this group (29%) say that scientists understand the effects of GM foods very well, compared with 16% who are less focused on healthy eating.

As noted above, those who are highly concerned about GM foods are also slightly more likely than others to see that scientists agree that GM foods are generally safe to eat.

Americans rely more on scientists who own small farms for information on the effects of GM foods.

Americans, by comparison, trust information from scientists and small farm owners about the safety of GM foods more than information from food industry leaders, the media, or elected officials.

However, in absolute terms, Americans are somewhat skeptical of the information from scientists. A minority of 35% say they rely heavily on scientists to provide complete and accurate information on the health effects of consuming GM foods. About one in five say they don't trust information from scientists or don't trust it very much. Another 43% of American adults report some confidence in information from scientists.

A similar proportion of Americans rely heavily on small farm owners (29%) or some (49%) to provide complete and accurate information on the health effects of GM foods. Public confidence in information about the effects of GM foods from the media, food industry leaders and elected officials is much lower. No more than one in ten Americans highly trust each of these groups; most say they don't trust the media, food industry leaders and elected officials to provide complete and accurate information about the health effects of GM foods.

Those who have heard or read a lot about GM foods are more likely to trust scientists (44% of this group say they trust scientists a lot, compared to 20% among those who say they have not heard or read nothing about GM foods). Those who care most deeply about GM express a level of trust in scientists similar to those who care least about GM foods.

However, those deeply concerned with the issue of GM foods are especially skeptical of information from food industry leaders. Just 21%, two deeply concerned with this question, trust food industry leaders, at least a few, to provide complete and accurate information on the effects of two GMO foods, compared to 48% among those who do not import these two GMO foods. or not. much. Half of those who care deeply about GM foods (50%) say that scientific findings on GM foods are influenced by researchers' desire to help their industries "most of the time." In contrast, 22% of those who have little concern about the issue of GM foods say the same.

Three in 10 Americans say that research on GM foods is often influenced by the best available evidence; a similar share says that other motivations influence researchers

The public offers a mixed assessment of what influences scientists' research on GM foods. Many Americans doubt that the best available evidence generally influences the results of GM food research. Three in 10 Americans say research results are influenced by the best available evidence most of the time, about half (51%) say it is sometimes, and 17% say the best available evidence is rarely or never influences the results. foods

At the same time, three in ten Americans (30%) say that scientists want to help their industries influence the results of research on GM foods most of the time. Half (50%) say this happens sometimes.

Perceptions that researchers' professional interests influence research outcomes are similar; 30% say that such motivations influence the search most of the time and 48% say that it happens sometimes.

Those most committed to the issue of GM foods are particularly skeptical about the possibility of industry influencing scientific research findings. Half (50%) of those who are very concerned about GM foods say that researchers want to help their industries influence GM food research most of the time. Those who are less committed to the issue of GM foods are much less inclined to say that industry interests often influence scientific research.

People with deeper personal concerns about GM foods are similarly more likely than other Americans to say that scientists' desires for career advancement or their own political leanings often influence the results of their food research. GM.

But the level of concern about the issue of GM foods is not related to the view that the best available evidence influences the research findings of scientists. A minority of 29% of those who are very concerned about this issue say that the best evidence influences the results of research on GM foods most of the time, as do similar percentages of those less concerned about the issue of GM foods. GM foods.

People with more scientific knowledge tend to have more positive opinions about scientists and the results of their research on GM foods.

While there are only modest differences in perceptions of the risk of eating GM foods among people with high, medium, or low levels of scientific knowledge, those with greater scientific knowledge tend to rate scientists and their research on GM foods more favorably than those with higher levels of scientific knowledge. less knowledge.

Those with high scientific knowledge, based on a nine-item index, are more likely to believe that scientists agree that GM foods are safe; 64% of those who are high in science say that almost all/more than half of scientists agree with this, compared to 28% of those who are low in science.

Science-minded Americans especially trust information from scientists about the effects of eating GM foods. About half of people high in science (51%) are very confident in information from scientists, while only one in five (18%) of people low in science say the same.

People who are high in science are also more likely to think that research on GM foods reflects the best available evidence most of the time (50% of those who are high in science say so, compared to 14% of who have low scientific knowledge).

Like other Americans, those with high scientific knowledge have little confidence in information from food industry leaders to provide complete and accurate information on the effects of GM foods. And those with high (32%) and medium (37%) scientific literacy say that researchers' desires to help the industries they work with or for influence search results most of the time. This compares to 16% among adults with low scientific knowledge.

Most Americans say scientists should have a role in GM food policymaking

Despite some skepticism among the public about scientists working on GM foods, most of the public wants scientists to have a seat at the policy table. Six in 10 US adults (60%) say scientists should play a major role in GM's policy decisions, and 28% say scientists should play a lesser role. Only 11% think that scientists should have no role in political decisions.

Most also support the important role of small farmers and the general public in policy decisions related to GM foods. Six in ten (60%) Americans say small farmers should have a big role in policy decisions about GM foods, and a similar proportion, 57%, say the general public should have a big role. Fewer Americans say that food industry leaders should have an important role in policy decisions related to GM foods (42%). Americans are the least likely to say elected officials should play a significant role in GM food policy (24%); 45% say elected officials should have a minor role and 30% say they should have no role in policy decisions on GM foods.

People who are deeply concerned about the issue of GM foods give the general public a higher priority in policy decisions. 78% of this group say that the general public should have an important role in political decisions. A smaller majority say that scientists should have an important role in GM food policy (66%). By comparison, people who are not at all or very concerned about the issue of genetically modified foods give scientists a higher priority in influencing policy decisions.

Assessments of media coverage of GM foods vary depending on the degree of concern about the issue.

Few Americans closely follow news about GM foods; only 6% of Americans say they closely follow news about GM foods. About 65% don't follow news about GM foods or don't follow them very closely, and another 28% say they follow the news to some degree.

In general, more Americans make negative evaluations than positive evaluations of how the media covers GM foods. About 56% of Americans say the media is doing a very or somewhat bad job, while 41% say the media is doing a very or somewhat good job.

People who follow GM news very or somewhat closely are more divided in their assessments of GM news coverage (52% say the media does a good job and 47% say the media does a good job). good work). bad).

The ranking of media coverage of GM foods is more or less similar between those who are most and least concerned about the issue of GM foods.

Scientifically literate Americans are especially critical of media coverage of GM foods. About 73% of those high in science say the media does a bad job, while only about a quarter (26%) say the media does a good job of covering the problems of GM foods. By comparison, those with little scientific knowledge are sharply divided in their views on media coverage of these issues; 49% say the media does a good job, 45% say they do a poor job of covering these issues.

The Pew Research Center survey also included two additional questions that explore people's views on the balance of news coverage of GM foods.

Overall, four in ten Americans (40%) say the media doesn't take the health risks of GM foods seriously enough. A slightly smaller portion (30%) think that the media exaggerates the health risks of GM foods. About a quarter (26%) say the media is right in their reporting.

Additionally, 43% of American adults say the media pays little attention to skeptics about the safety of GMOs. A smaller portion (22%) say the media pays too much attention to skeptics. About a third (32%) say the media pays adequate attention to skeptics about the safety of GMOs.

People's level of concern about the issue of GM foods is closely related to their views on media coverage. 73% of those who are very concerned about the issue of genetically modified foods say that the media does not take seriously the health threat of genetically modified foods. Those with little personal concern on this issue are evenly split between whether the media exaggerates the health threat, doesn't take the health threat seriously enough, or is right in its reporting.

Opinions on media attention to skeptics about the safety of GMOs follow a similar pattern. Some 73% of those who are very concerned about the issue of GM foods say that the media pays too little attention to skeptics about the safety of GM foods. Conversely, among those who have no or no personal concerns on the issue of GM food, 27% say the media pay little attention to skeptics about the safety of GM food.