The cultural authority of stem cell researchers

Abstract

Increasing public support for stem cell researchers may increase their influence over science policy decisions and lead to more favorable policies regarding stem cell research. Yet, until recently there was little scholarship on public opinion about the roles stem cell researchers should play in crafting science policy. A national survey of US adults found that Americans are generally supportive of stem cell researchers as policy advisers but that support is uneven throughout the public. Specifically, attitudes about stem cell researchers as policy advisers depend on gender, political beliefs, age and religiosity. Surprisingly, familiarity with science has a negative effect on attitudes about stem cell researchers as policy makers. This suggests that rather than simply “teaching” the public more scientific facts, science outreach and communication may be most effective when it is narrowly tailored to the match the interests of specific social groups. It also suggests that attitudes about stem cell researchers are rooted in deeply-held cultural dispositions and that widespread changes in public opinion are likely to occur slowly.