National Survey, Societal Implications of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology — A Baseline Data Collection
Funder: Office of the Vice President for Research, Texas A&M University
In 2002, ISTPP staff initiated the first stage of work examining the societal implications of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Because some forms of nanotechnology are already appearing in high-profile consumer products and are receiving both media coverage and references in commercial films, there is an immediate need for baseline data on 1) the level of public information; 2) the sources of that information;, 3) the public's current view, attitudes, and knowledge about the science and its applications; and 4) an identification of gaps in the public's information and knowledge base.
To provide this baseline information, we developed and fielded a public survey of a random sample of the U.S. population in spring 2003. The survey had a target sample size of 1000. Although relatively few questions were asked, this sample size was required to control for a variety of socioeconomic, regional, and ethnic identifiers that are important for understanding variations in knowledge levels and attitudes among different population subgroups. Data analysis is currently underway.
The ISTPP research team included ISTPP director, Dr. Arnold Vedlitz (political science), and associate director, Dr. Letitia T. Alston (sociology); and ISTPP research scientists, Dr. Eric Lindquist (political science) and Dr. B. Mitchell Peck (sociology).
