GM Food: Public Opinion

Monday 05 July 2004

As the Government moves towards a decision about whether GM crops should be grown commercially in Britain, a survey by MORI for the University of East Anglia shows how the British public feel about GM food and crops.

The survey was conducted immediately after the end of the GM Nation? debate. Key findings include:

• Overall opposition to GM food was found to be 36% against, while 13% supported and about two in five (39%) neither supported nor opposed GM food.
• A large majority (85%) thought that we don’t know enough about the potential long-term effects of GM food on our health.
• However four in 10 or more also agreed that GM crops could hold a range of future benefits, for the environment (44%), consumers (45%), and those in developing countries (56%).
• There were very high levels of agreement (79%) that organisations separate from government are needed to regulate GM food.

Technical Details

The national survey was conducted after the end of the formal GM Nation? public debate: i.e., between 19 July and 12 September 2003. A nationally representative quota sample of 1,363 people aged 15 years and older was interviewed face-to-face in their own homes in England, Scotland and Wales. All data have been weighted to the known profile of the British population.

Topline Results

• This document shows topline findings from a survey conducted by MORI on behalf of The Centre for Environmental Risk, The University of East Anglia.
• Results are based on a representative sample of 1,363 interviews conducted among the GB general public aged 15+. This is made up of 1,017 interviews from the main sample conducted across GB, plus 151 'booster' interviews in Scotland, and 195 'booster' interviews in Wales. The total sample size in Scotland (main + booster interviews) is 265; the total sample size in Wales (main + booster interviews) is 235; and the total sample size in England is 863.
• Fieldwork was conducted by face-to-face in-home interviews between 19 July and 12 September 2003.
  (Fieldwork for main survey: 19 July – 26 August; fieldwork for Scottish booster: 11 August – 26 August; fieldwork for Welsh booster 11 August – 12 September).
• Results are compared to the 2002 'Attitudes to Risk Survey' (uea/MORI). This survey was carried out between 6 and 31 July 2002 and comprised 1,547 interviews in total. There were five versions of the questionnaire, each containing a 'core' section common to all, and a section about a specific risk issue. 296 interviews were conducted on the issue of GM Food.
• Where results do not sum to 100% this may be due to multiple responses, computer rounding or the exclusion of 'don't knows' / 'not stated' categories.
• Results are based on all respondents, unless otherwise stated
• The symbol * indicates a score which is less than half a per cent, but greater than zero.
• Data (for 2002 and 2003) have been weighted to the GB profile.

For some questions where we have split the sample, we were trying to test the effect of providing respondents with additional information. For instance, QB1 and QB2 are identical statements, except the former had "in the same way as the private sector does" in the statement. As the results below illustrate, mentioning the private sector in this way does not have a statistically significant impact on public opinion. Similarly, by reading out two sides of the argument about the use of providing a subsidy for private healthcare or schooling (see questions 5-8) does not seem to have a statistical impact on public opinion. As well as providing the results for each split sample, we have also combined the results for ease of reference.

Q1 I am going to read out some issues and for each one I would like you to tell me how important or not important it is to you, using the number on the scale which applies, where '4' equals very important and '0' equals not at all important.
Base: All

		Very Important		Neither / nor		Not at all important	Don't know	Not stated
		4	3	2	1	0	9
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Animal welfare	2002 (1,547)	46	30	17	4	3	1	-
	2003 (1,363)	49	31	14	3	2	*	1
Being independent	2002 (1,547)	69	23	6	*	*	1	-
	2003 (1,363)	69	23	6	1	*	*	1
The economy	2002 (1,547)	46	34	14	3	2	1	-
	2003 (1,363)	46	37	12	2	1	1	1
Education	2002 (1,547)	76	16	5	1	1	1	-
	2003 (1,363)	75	17	4	2	1	*	1
Environmental protection	2002 (1,547)	56	32	10	1	*	1	-
	2003 (1,363)	59	31	7	2	*	*	1
Excitement / Fun	2002 (1,547)	40	35	18	4	2	1	-
	2003 (1,363)	40	36	18	2	2	*	1
Having a comfortable life	2002 (1,547)	60	31	7	1	*	1	-
	2003 (1,363)	58	33	7	1	*	*	1
Your health	2002 (1,547)	86	10	2	*	*	1	-
	2003 (1,363)	87	10	2	*	*	*	1
Law and order	2002 (1,547)	76	19	4	1	*	*	-
	2003 (1,363)	80	16	3	1	*	*	*
Partner and family	2002 (1,547)	85	10	4	1	1	*	-
	2003 (1,363)	85	10	4	1	1	*	*
Personal finance	2002 (1,547)	57	33	8	1	1	*	-
	2003 (1,363)	56	36	7	1	*	*	*
Personal safety	2002 (1,547)	75	21	4	*	*	*	-
	2003 (1,363)	77	18	4	*	0	0	*
Population growth	2002 (1,547)	26	32	32	6	4	2	-
	2003 (1,363)	29	32	29	5	3	1	*
Your privacy	2002 (1,547)	68	24	8	1	*	*	-
	2003 (1,363)	65	26	6	1	1	*	*
Religion	2002 (1,547)	17	20	33	11	18	*	-
	2003 (1,363)	19	17	35	11	17	*	*
Social relations / Friends	2002 (1,547)	17	20	33	11	18	*	-
	2003 (1,363)	56	34	8	1	*	*	*
Tackling human rights	2002 (1,547)	36	37	19	4	2	1	-
	2003 (1,363)	33	42	20	3	2	1	*
Tackling world poverty	2002 (1,547)	40	35	19	4	3	1	-
	2003 (1,363)	37	36	20	3	3	*	1
Terrorism	2002 (1,547)	60	24	11	2	1	1	-
	2003 (1,363)	63	24	9	2	1	1	*
Work	2002 (1,547)	42	31	14	3	8	2	-
	2003 (1,363)	40	32	14	4	9	1	1

Q1 I am going to read out some issues and for each one I would like you to tell me how important or not important it is to you, using the number on the scale which applies, where '4' equals very important and '0' equals not at all important.
Base: 2002 All who took part in each version of the questionnaire; 2003 All

		Very Important		Neither / nor		Not at all important	Don't know	Not stated
		4	3	2	1	0	9
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Genetically modified food	2002 (296)	20	21	34	12	10	4	-
	2003 (1,363)	21	26	33	8	9	3	*
Climate Change	2002 (321)	30	36	22	6	5	2	-
	2003 (1,363)	28	39	25	5	3	1	*
Genetic testing	2002 (305)	26	27	29	9	5	4	-
	2003 (1,363)	29	33	25	5	5	3	*
Radioactive waste	2002 (306)	53	23	17	5	2	1	-
	2003 (1,363)	53	26	14	3	3	1	*
Radiation from mobile phone handsets	2002 (319)	19	25	37	8	9	3	-
	2003 (1,363)	26	27	29	7	8	2	*

Q2 How concerned or not are you about the following issues? Please read out the number on the scale which applies, where '4' equals very concerned and '0' equals not at all concerned.
Base: 2002 All who took part in each version of the questionnaire; 2003 All

		Very concerned		Neither / nor		Not at all concerned	No opinion	Not stated
		4	3	2	1	0	9
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Genetically modified food (1)	2002 (296)	17	20	31	11	16	4	-
	2003 (1,363)	24	27	31	6	11	2	*
Climate Change	2002 (321)	27	34	25	5	7	2	-
	2003 (1,363)	27	38	24	4	6	1	*
Genetic testing	2002 (305)	22	27	29	9	11	2
	2003 (1,363)	27	32	26	6	7	2	*
Radioactive waste	2002 (306)	38	27	25	5	4	2	-
	2003 (1,363)	45	31	15	4	4	1	*
Radiation from mobile phone handsets	2002 (319)	13	28	31	10	15	2	-
	2003 (1,363)	24	28	25	8	12	2	1

1. This was worded as 'Genetically engineered food' in the 2002 questionnaire.

Q3 Which three things, if any, come to your mind when you hear the phrase 'genetically modified food'?
Analysed by UEA

Q4-6 And do you think [first/second/third mention] is a good thing, a bad thing or neither a good nor a bad thing?
Analysed by UEA

Q7 Using this card, how strongly, if at all, would you say you support or oppose genetically modified food? (2)

	1996 (3)	1998 (4)	2003 Feb (5)	2003 June (6)	2003 July / Aug / Sept
	%	%	%	%	%
Strongly support	6	6	3	3	3
Tend to support	25	16	11	11	11
Neither support or oppose	16	15	25	33	39
Tend to oppose	24	21	26	21	19
Strongly oppose	26	37	30	25	17
Don't know / Not stated	3	5	5	7	11
SUPPORT	31	22	14	14	13
OPPOSE	50	58	56	46	36
NET	-19	-36	-42	-32	-23

1. Please note the question wording was slightly different in 1996 and 1998 to 2003. In 96/98 the question wording was as follows: 'Thinking of genetically modified food or food derived from genetic engineering, what is your opinion towards the development and introduction of such food? Would you say, support it to a great extent, support it slightly, neither support nor oppose it, oppose it slightly, oppose it to a great extent, don't know'
2. MORI / Greenpeace, 1,003 adults, aged 15+, telephone, Great Britain, 13-15 December 1996
3. MORI / GeneWatch, 950 adults, aged 15+, face-to-face, in home, Great Britain, 6-8 June 1998
4. MORI Environment Tracker / MORI Environment Research Bulletin, 2,141 adults, aged 15+, face-to-face, in-home, Great Britain, 6-10 February 2003
5. MORI Environment Tracker / MORI Environment Research Bulletin, 1,958, aged 15+, face-to-face, in-home, Great Britain, 19-24 June 2003

Q8 And what would you say is your level of interest in the issue of genetically modified food?
Base: All

		Very interested	Fairly interested	Not very interested	Not at all interested	No opinion	Not stated
		%	%	%	%	%	%
Genetically modified food	2002 (1,547)	22	38	25	14	1	-
	2003 (1,363)	15	41	30	10	2	2

Q9 On the whole, how would you describe your feelings about the following issues…
Base: All 2002 (1,547); 2003 (1,363)

		Very good thing	Fairly good thing	Neither good / nor bad thing	Fairly bad thing	Very bad thing	No opinion	Not stated
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Climate change	2002	2	10	26	38	21	4	-
	2003	3	9	29	39	16	3	1
Genetically modified food	2002	2	13	35	25	19	5	-
	2003	2	12	40	24	16	6	1
Genetic testing (i.e. tests to discover whether people have a range of inherited diseases or disorders)	2002	19	37	23	11	6	4	-
	2003	23	36	19	11	6	3	1
Radioactive waste	2002	2	4	13	29	46	5	-
	2003	3	4	11	27	49	3	3
Radiation from mobile phone handsets	2002	1	4	26	38	24	7	-
	2003	2	3	29	38	20	7	1

Q10 How would you assess the benefits, if any, of genetically modified food for:… Please read out the number on the scale that applies where 6 equals very high benefits and 0 equals no benefits.
Base: 2002 All GM food respondents (296); 2003 All (1,363)

		Very high benefits			Some benefits			No Benefits	No opinion / Don't know	Not stated
		6	5	4	3	2	1	0	9
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
British Society as a whole	2002	2	7	10	36	9	5	17	14	-
	2003	2	5	6	35	10	6	22	14	*
Yourself	2002	*	3	7	31	9	5	28	17	-
	2003	2	3	4	25	11	6	34	14	1

Q11 How would you assess the benefits, if any, of genetically modified food for the environment? Please read out the number on the scale that applies where 6 equals very high benefits and 0 equals no benefits.
Base: 2002 All GM food respondents (296); 2003 All (1,363)

	Very high benefits			Some benefits			No Benefits	No opinion / Don't know	Not stated
	6	5	4	3	2	1	0	9
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Genetically modified food	3	3	6	23	10	7	30	18	1

Q12 How would you assess the risks, if any, to human health from genetically modified food for… Please read out the number on the scale that applies where 6 equals very high risks and 0 equals no risks.
Base: 2002 All GM food respondents (296); 2003 All (1,363)

		Very high benefits			Some benefits			No Benefits	No opinion / Don't know	Not stated
		6	5	4	3	2	1	0	9
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
British Society as a whole	2002	12	8	11	40	6	3	3	17	-
	2003	14	8	10	36	9	3	5	15	1
Yourself	2002	12	5	9	37	10	3	5	19	-
	2003	13	7	7	34	10	4	9	15	1

Q13 How would you assess the risks, if any, to the environment from genetically modified food? Please read out the number on the scale that applies where 6 equals very high risks and 0 equals no risk.
Base: 2002 All GM food respondents (296); 2003 All (1,363)

		Very high benefits			Some benefits			No Benefits	No opinion / Don't know	Not stated
		6	5	4	3	2	1	0	9
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Genetically modified food	2002	15	10	17	35	3	2	2	17	-
	2003	15	10	10	35	6	3	5	15	*

Q14 From what you know or have heard about genetically modified food, on balance, which of these statements, if any, most closely reflects your own opinion?
Base: 2002 All GM food respondents; 2003 All

	2002 (296)	2003 (1,363)
	%	%
The benefits of genetically modified food far outweigh the risks	5	6
The benefits of genetically modified food slightly outweigh the risks	11	14
The benefits and risks of genetically modified food are about the same	29	23
The risks of genetically modified food slightly outweigh the benefits	18	19
The risks of genetically modified food far outweigh the benefits	21	23
None of these	2	3
Don't know	14	12
Not stated	-	*

Q15 On the whole, how acceptable or unacceptable is genetically modified food to you?
Base: 2002 All GM food respondents; 2003 All

	2002 (296)	2003 (1,363)
	%	%
Very acceptable	3	4
Fairly acceptable	19	23
Neither acceptable nor unacceptable	34	27
Fairly unacceptable	16	20
Very unacceptable	20	20
No opinion	8	5
Not stated	-	*

Q16 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
Base: 2002 All GM food respondents (296); 2003 All (1,363)

		Strongly agree	Tend to agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to disagree	Strongly disagree	No opinion	Not stated
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Genetically modified food has unknown consequences	2002	27	49	12	5	1	7	-
	2003	34	40	15	5	1	4	1
Genetically modified food poses risks to future generations	2002	18	34	29	6	1	11	-
	2003	22	32	27	9	1	9	*
I have mixed feelings about genetically modified food	2002	14	43	14	11	8	10	-
	2003	16	40	18	12	10	3	1
I am well informed about genetically modified food	2002	3	15	21	34	21	7	-
	2003	4	15	16	32	28	3	2
I feel able to control any risks to myself associated with genetically modified food	2002	5	20	21	29	15	10	-
	2003	6	23	19	25	20	6	1
I am not that bothered about genetically modified food	2002	7	26	19	19	19	10	-
	2003	7	25	17	23	25	2	*
The risks from genetically modified food are unfair because they fall unevenly on particular groups in British Society	2002	4	22	39	10	4	20	-
	2003	8	25	33	14	5	15	1
The idea of genetically modified food fills me with dread	2002	13	11	30	22	15	8	-
	2003	14	17	23	25	15	5	*

Q17 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
Base: 2002 All GM food respondents (296); 2003 All (1,363)

		Strongly agree	Tend to agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to disagree	Strongly disagree	No opinion	Not stated
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Organisations separate from government are needed to regulate genetically modified food	2002	21	38	23	5	2	12	-
	2003	40	39	10	4	2	5	*
Organisations separate from industry are needed to regulate genetically modified food	2002	25	40	14	5	1	16	-
	2003	42	38	10	3	1	5	1
I would like to be personally consulted in policy making decisions about genetically modified food	2002	8	19	26	25	10	11	-
	2003	19	26	21	20	11	3	*
I feel confident that the British government adequately regulates genetically modified food	2002	2	18	29	27	14	10	-
	2003	3	16	19	27	28	6	*

Q18 How much do you agree or disagree that the following should be involved in making decisions about genetically modified food?
Base: 2002 All GM food respondents (296); 2003 All (1,363)

		Strongly agree	Tend to agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to disagree	Strongly disagree	No opinion	Not stated
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Consumer rights organisations (e.g. Consumers' Association)	2002	27	49	13	3	2	6	-
	2003	37	43	10	4	1	4	1
Food manufacturers	2002	18	38	17	17	6	4	-
	2003	22	40	11	15	8	3	1
The general public	2002	29	42	17	5	2	6	-
	2003	40	41	11	4	1	2	1
Environmental organisations	2002	30	46	15	4	1	5	-
	2003	41	43	8	3	1	3	1
Scientists working for Government	2002	15	50	17	9	5	5	-
	2003	22	40	15	11	7	3	1
Local authorities	2002	10	31	30	19	3	7	-
	2003	16	40	20	14	6	4	1
Local communities	2002	17	40	24	10	2	8	-
	2003	26	42	17	8	2	3	2
Biotechnology industry	2002	9	45	18	11	8	9	-
	2003	16	39	18	12	8	6	1
Scientists working for the biotechnology industry	2002	12	44	19	10	7	9	-
	2003	18	37	18	13	8	6	1
The national government	2002	17	47	71	11	3	6	-
	2003	21	41	15	10	9	3	1
The European Union (EU)	2002	16	38	19	12	8	7	-
	2003	19	34	16	12	13	4	2
Scientists working for environmental groups	2002	22	51	15	5	*	7	-
	2003	36	45	10	3	1	3	2
Scientists working for Universities	2002	21	53	14	3	2	8	-
	2003	31	46	13	3	1	3	1
Doctors	2002	21	49	17	4	1	7	-
	2003	37	43	11	4	1	2	1
Farmers (7)		35	38	13	7	4	3	1
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) (2)		42	42	7	2	1	4	1
Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) (2)		37	42	9	3	2	4	2
Base: All respondents in Wales (235)
The Welsh Assembly (2)		26	29	20	7	10	7	1
Base: All respondents in Scotland (265)
The Scottish Parliament and its executive (2)		23	35	16	13	8	5	*

7. New category.

Q19 Using this card, to what extent would you trust each of the following organisations and people to tell the truth about genetically modified food?
Base: 2002 All GM food respondents (296); 2003 All (1,363)

		Trust a lot	Trust a little	Neither / nor	Distrust a little	Distrust a lot	Don't know	Not stated
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Consumer rights organisations (e.g. Consumers' Association)	2002	21	48	15	7	4	5	-
	2003	33	43	13	5	2	3	1
Food manufacturers	2002	4	24	15	35	18	4	-
	2003	5	29	21	26	17	2	1
Friends and family	2002	27	35	24	3	3	8	-
	2003	40	30	23	3	1	2	1
Environmental organisations	2002	19	48	17	7	4	5	-
	2003	31	45	14	6	2	1	2
Scientists working for Government	2002	5	32	22	24	13	5	-
	2003	8	34	19	21	15	2	1
Local authorities	2002	2	29	30	23	9	8	-
	2003	5	31	33	17	10	2	1
People from your local community	2002	6	35	40	6	3	9	-
	2003	14	42	33	5	2	3	1
Biotechnology industry	2002	2	33	18	22	16	9	-
	2003	8	27	25	20	15	5	1
Scientists working for the biotechnology industry	2002	4	32	20	22	14	8	-
	2003	9	28	23	21	14	4	1
The national government	2002	4	27	20	27	17	5	-
	2003	5	25	19	25	23	2	1
The European Union (EU)	2002	5	29	23	17	19	8	-
	2003	7	25	25	19	20	3	1
Scientists working for environmental groups	2002	16	47	22	6	3	7	-
	2003	25	48	15	7	2	2	1
Scientists working for Universities	2002	16	50	22	4	2	6	-
	2003	29	46	17	4	2	1	1
Doctors	2002	21	51	16	4	3	4	-
	2003	39	42	14	2	1	1	1
Farmers (8)		19	36	26	10	5	2	1
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) (3)		26	45	14	6	3	3	2
Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) (3)		20	44	18	7	5	3	3
Base: All respondents in Wales (235)
The Welsh Assembly (3)		11	29	27	12	15	5	1
Base: All respondents in Scotland (265)
The Scottish Parliament and its executive (3)		5	24	31	23	14	2	1

8. New category

Q20 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the government?
Base: 2002 All GM food respondents (296); 2003 All (1,363)

		Strongly agree	Tend to agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to disagree	Strongly disagree	No opinion	Not stated
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%
The government has the same opinion as me about genetically modified food	2002	2	10	25	27	23	13	-
	2003	1	7	26	27	24	13	1
The government is doing a good job with regard to genetically modified food	2002	1	11	37	22	17	12	-
	2003	1	11	28	25	24	10	1
The government is competent enough to deal with genetically modified food	2002	1	22	25	22	20	11	-
	2003	2	19	19	27	27	5	1
The government distorts facts in its favour regarding genetically modified food	2002	17	34	32	6	1	10	-
	2003	22	34	23	9	3	8	1
The government changes policies regarding genetically modified food without good reasons	2002	15	31	35	6	1	12	-
	2003	17	30	30	9	3	11	*
The government is too influenced by the biotechnology industry regarding genetically modified food	2002	15	29	36	7	1	12	-
	2003	20	35	25	7	2	10	*
The government listens to concerns about genetically modified food raised by the public	2002	2	20	23	32	14	11	-
	2003	2	20	20	33	19	5	*
The government has the same ideas as me about genetically modified food	2002	1	9	29	27	21	14	-
	2003	2	8	24	30	25	12	1
The government listens to what ordinary people think about genetically modified food	2002	1	16	19	33	24	8	-
	2003	2	11	15	35	31	6	*
I feel that the way the government makes decisions about genetically modified food is fair	2002	1	12	33	27	16	12	-
	2003	1	11	31	25	23	9	*
The government provides all relevant information about genetically modified food to the public	2002	1	9	21	33	27	10	-
	2003	2	7	17	33	35	6	1
The government wants to promote genetically modified food (9)	%	21	39	23	6	2	8	1

9. New category

Q21 How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Base: 2002 food respondents (296); 2003 All (1,363)

		Strongly agree	Tend to agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to disagree	Strongly disagree	No opinion	Not stated
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%
I personally would be happy to eat genetically modified food	2002	8	21	20	21	25	5	-
	2003	6	22	23	18	28	3	1

Q22 In general, how do you feel about genetically modified food?

	%
Very negatively	24
Somewhat negatively	26
Neither positively nor negatively	35
Somewhat positively	12
Very positively	3
Not stated	1

Q23 Which of the following statements most closely describes your opinion?

	%
Genetically modified food should be promoted	9
Genetically modified food should be opposed	29
I am not sure whether genetically modified food should be promoted or opposed	53
I don't care whether genetically modified food should be promoted or opposed	8
Not stated	1

Q24 To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?

	Strongly agree	Tend to agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to disagree	Strongly disagree	No opinion	Not stated
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
I am concerned about the potential negative impact of genetically modified crops on the environment	26	37	22	8	2	5	1
I believe genetically modified crops could help to provide cheaper food for consumers in the UK	6	39	23	14	9	8	1
I believe that genetically modified crops could benefit people in developing countries	18	38	19	10	7	6	1
Genetically modified crops are safer than traditional crops because they have been more thoroughly tested	1	8	32	27	21	9	1
I think that some genetically modified crops could benefit the environment by using less pesticides and chemical fertilises than traditional crops	7	37	26	11	9	9	1
I believe that genetically modified crops could improve the prospects of British farmers by helping them to compete with farmers around the world	5	26	32	16	10	11	1
Genetically modified food will make farmers dependent on big companies that have patents on genetically modified crops	20	36	26	5	2	10	1
I am worried that if genetically modified crops are introduced it will be very difficult to ensure that other crops are GM free	33	35	18	5	2	6	1
I believe that some genetically modified non-food crops could have useful medical benefits	6	34	34	6	5	15	1
I am worried that this new technology is being driven more by profit than by the public interest	37	38	13	6	1	4	1
I don't think we know enough about the long-term effects of genetically modified food on our health	52	33	8	3	1	2	1
I think genetically modified crops would mainly benefit the producers and not ordinary people	31	33	21	8	1	4	1
Growing genetically modified crops will damage [England's / Wales' /Scotland's] tourist industry	5	13	36	24	8	9	5
England / Wales / Scotland should be GM free	18	17	32	13	6	7	7

Q25 How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?.

	Strongly agree	Tend to agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to disagree	Strongly disagree	No opinion	Not stated
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
I have strong opinions about genetically modified food	21	22	28	19	7	2	1
All food containing genetically modified material should be labelled	65	29	3	1	*	1	1
I would try to avoid purchasing genetically modified food products	29	21	25	17	5	2	1
Biotechnology companies should be made liable for any damage caused by genetically modified products	48	31	13	4	1	3	1
I need more information to form a clear opinion about genetically modified food	51	33	7	5	3	1	1
I am confident that the development of genetically modified crops is being carefully regulated	3	19	27	27	18	5	1
There are so many arguments for and against genetically modified food. I could be persuaded by any of them	5	26	24	24	16	4	1
The government should consult the public about how to regulate genetically modified food	33	43	10	8	2	2	1
I would be prepared to take part in a public discussion or hearing about genetically modified food	14	29	20	20	14	2	1
I feel that genetic modification interferes with nature in an unacceptable way	25	25	28	13	4	5	1
The government is not in favour of genetically modified food	2	4	26	33	24	9	2
Base: All respondents in Scotland and Wales (500)
The Welsh Assembly / Scottish Parliament should make the final decision about whether to introduce genetically modified crops in Wales/Scotland	14	24	24	14	15	7	1
The Welsh Assembly / Scottish Parliament should accept the decision of the UK government regarding the growing of genetically modified crops	5	17	26	20	23	7	2

Q26 How often, if at all, do you use the Internet?

	%
Daily	23
Five or six times a week	6
Three or four times a week	8
Once or twice a week	11
Less than once a week — once a month	5
Less than once a month	5
Never	42
Not stated	*

Q27 Have you ever searched for information about genetically modified food or crops on the internet?
Base: Those who use the internet (708)

	%
Yes	9
No	90
Don't know	*
Not stated	*

Q28 Can you remember reading or seeing any news stories or articles about genetically modified food or crops in the last three weeks, or not?

	%
Yes	17
No	77
Don't know	2
Not stated	4

Q29 Can you remember what they were saying about genetically foods / crops? What else?

	1
None / no answer	X
Don't know	Y

Q29 How much, if anything, do you know about 'GM Nation? The Public Debate', the national debate on genetic modification of foods and crops that has been going on recently.

	%
Know a lot about	1
Know a fair amount about	2
Know a little about	11
Heard of but know nothing about	13
Never heard of	71
Don't know	2
Not stated	1

Q31 Where did you hear about 'GM Nation?: The Public Debate'?
Base: All who have heard of 'GM Nation' (352)

	%
Magazine advertisement	1
Magazine article	6
Banner ad on the internet	1
Billboards/Hoardings/Posters	*
Direct mail	0
Friends	6
Relatives	2
Trade/professional publication	2
Included in literature sent to me by a charity	1
Internet/Website	3
Leaflets	1
Local newspaper ad	1
Local Newspaper article	4
National newspaper ad	5
National Newspaper article	24
Supplements/Colour supplements to newspapers	1
Financial Advisor/IFA/Accountant	*
Solicitor	0
Radio (unspecified)	7
Radio advertising	*
Radio programme	7
Teletext	1
Television (unspecified)	36
Television advertisement	1
Television programme	11
Other	8
Don't know/Can't recall	8
Not stated	4

Q32 Have you personally taken part in any of the 'GM Nation' events, or not?
Base: All respondents who have heard of GM Nation (352)

	%
Yes	2
No	96
Don't know	*
Not stated	2

Q33 Which, if any, of the following have you done as part of 'GM Nation?' The Public Debate'
Base: All who have taken part in a 'GM Nation' event (8)

	N
Attended a meeting	1
Visited the website	2
Looked at the CD-ROM	0
Read the booklet	3
Watched the video	*
None of these	1
Don't know	0

Q34 As you may know, "GM Nation? The Public Debate" is a nationwide discussion of issues related to genetic modification (GM) of crops and food. It is sponsored by the government, and managed by an independent board of people representing diverse views on GM. During June and July 2003 a series of regional and local meetings have been organised to allow people to have their say about the role of GM in the UK. "GM Nation? The Public Debate" is organised to involve the public in the important decision as to whether or not GM foods and crops should be grown commercially in Britain. The findings from the meetings will be fed back to the Government to help inform their policy-making on GM foods and crops.
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

	Strongly agree	Tend to agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to disagree	Strongly disagree	No opinion	Not stated
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
The debate will make no difference, because the government has already made its mind up on genetically modified foods and crops	21	38	19	13	2	6	1
The debate shows that the government listens to what normal people think about genetically modified foods and crops	3	20	26	29	16	6	1
The debate has been run fairly, without promoting any specific views on genetically modified foods and crops	1	13	42	9	5	29	1
Organising the debate is a waste of taxpayers' money	10	25	20	30	7	7	1
Because of the debate I trust the government more to make the right decisions about genetically modified foods and crops	3	18	25	27	18	8	1
The debate is a good way for the public to get more involved in making decisions about genetically modified foods and crops	13	53	16	9	3	6	1
The debate will have an influence on government's policies on genetically modified foods and crops	3	25	27	25	11	9	1
It is unclear to me what the debate is about	14	31	19	23	8	5	1
It does not matter whether there is a debate on genetically modified or not. In the end European and International laws will determine what will happen	25	43	15	8	3	4	1

Q35 How useful, if at all, do you think it would be to have public debates on other important new developments in science and technology?

	%
Very useful	34
Fairly useful	43
Not very useful	12
Not at all useful	3
Don't know	5
Not stated	2