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More Americans Back Non-Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Oppose Cloning
Statisticians at Virginia Commonwealth University have released the results of their annual poll in scientific research and found that more Americans favor non-embryonic stem cell research than the kind that destroys human life. The poll also finds that Americans are strongly opposed to human cloning.
Asked whether they favor stem cell research that does not involve the use of human embryos or embryonic research, 75 percent of respondents said they back the non-embryonic kind while 17 percent were opposed.
Just 54 percent of Americans say they're fine with embryonic stem cell research, though the question did not indicate human embryos are destroyed in the process. Another 39 percent opposed such research.
The 54 percent figure is a drop of four percent from the 2005 survey and VCU found the percentage of those strongly favoring such research has dropped from 27 percent in 2005 to 21 percent this year.
Opposition to embryonic stem cell research has risen from 32 percent in 2005 to 39 percent today.
Had the question covered the destruction of human life in embryonic stem cell research the results may have been different. That's because a subsequent polling question asked whether Americans found conducting research or making sure that no human embryos are destroyed is more important.
VCU revealed that 46 percent say making sure no human life is destroyed is more important and 42 percent said conducting research takes priority.
Women are more likely than men to say the priorities should be on making sure no embryos are destroyed; 52% of women say this compared with 39% of men.
Despite the support for embryonic stem cell research, Americans have strong reservations about letting scientists rum rampant.
Some 63 percent agree that “scientific research these days doesn't pay enough attention to the moral values of society” and another 53 percent say "scientific research has created as many problems as it has solutions.”
When asked, pluralities or majorities of those polled say government regulation of stem cell research is necessary and say that researchers can't be trusted to keep society's interests as the priority.
The VCU poll found that Americans are not well-versed on the issue of stem cell research, meaning pro-life groups still have a chance to educate the public on the pros and cons.
Just 38 percent of those polled said they were familiar with new research LifeNews.com covered that showed scientists converting human and mice skin cells into an embryonic-like state without destroying life.
Some 62 percent were unfamiliar with the research that pro-life groups say makes destroying human embryos unnecessary.
Perhaps because just one-third of the public is familiar with the studies, only 22 percent of Americans say embryonic stem cell research is no longer necessary while 63 percent said both forms of research should proceed.
The VCU poll found those Americans who oppose embryonic stem cell research were more likely to say it is now unnecessary given the new developments.
Poll-takers also found that opposition to embryonic stem cell research closely tracks with attitudes about abortion.
About 79 percent of the pro-abortion respondents favored embryonic stem cell research while just 24 percent of pro-life respondents back it.
The poll showed that pro-life groups need to redouble their efforts as the percentage of pro-life people supporting research that destroys human life has increased during the last two years.
Democrats were more likely to back embryonic stem cell research while Republicans were more likely to oppose it.
When it comes to human cloning, the poll finds that cloning backers have been able to change perceptions on what type of human cloning Americans may support.
When asked about human cloning in general 81 percent of Americans oppose it while just 16 percent support it -- a split that has been consistent in VCU polls since 2001.
But when asked if they favor human cloning "if it is used only to help medical research develop new treatments for disease" Americans are split 47-47 on it.
The results are very important for pro-life groups regarding the kind of terms to use when opposing measures that would promote human cloning.
Gender plays a huge role in cloning as it does in embryonic stem cell research.
As men are less likely to be concerned than women about the destruction of human life in embryonic stem cell research, they're more likely to support human cloning. Among men, 56% favor so-called therapeutic cloning; this compares with 40% among women.
The poll also found that 71 percent of Americans say they're not clear on the differences between so-called human therapeutic cloning and human reproductive cloning -- meaning that pro-life groups have a window of opportunity to educate the public on the problems.
The VCU Life Sciences Survey was conducted by telephone from November 26-December 9, 2007 with a randomly-selected sample of 1000 adults living in the continental United States. It has a three percent margin of error.
