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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Synthetic Biology
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1388512

Public attitudes to genetic technology for invasive pest control and preferences for engagement and information: A segmentation analysis

Provisionally accepted
Elizabeth Virginia Hobman Elizabeth Virginia Hobman *Aditi Mankad Aditi Mankad Lucy Carter Lucy Carter Kerry Collins Kerry Collins
  • Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This research focusses on understanding (1) how people perceive genetic technology to control invasive animal pests (feral pigs, cats etc.), and (2) how people would like to be engaged on, and/or informed about, decisions regarding the development of this genetic technology. The results have direct relevance to biotechnology developers as they seek to better understand public likely response to genetic technology. Results revealed the presence of distinct segments where people varied systematically in their attitudes towards the technology, and their engagement beliefs and preferences, and information needs. The results provide practical direction on (1) how to design public engagement activities and science communications that accord with people's preferences, and (2) the issues that biotechnology developers should address as they endeavour to create socially responsible genetic technologies.

    Keywords: Invasive pests, Genetic technologies, segmentation, Science Communication, Public perceptions

    Received: 19 Feb 2024; Accepted: 13 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Hobman, Mankad, Carter and Collins. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Elizabeth Virginia Hobman, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Canberra, 3169, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.