Scientific advance in genetics and its applications in genetic forecasting produce multiple issues of public policy; salient among these issues are prenatal testing and the use of genetic information in the workplace. An understanding of relevant public attitudes and values and their formation can be valuable to policy people, scholars addressing the social impacts of genetic technologies, and those concerned with education. This research, coupled with NSF-supported research recently completed by the investigator, will provide a baseline "snapshot" of public attitudes and values. The investigator providently began her research early, before there was much media attention, so that initial awareness could be studied. In this project, the investigator will extend the monitoring and analyze the data from this and the earlier project. By adding questions to the General Social Survey, she will obtain additional data on attitudes to genetic forecasting that are embedded with other attitudes. This is a very economical strategy for enhancing our understanding. This project also prepares the way for future measurement of values and attitudes in this area. Publication of the results in appropriate journals and presentations at professional meetings will provide wide dissemination. This proposal is a reasonable request for support to enable a highly competent investigator to carry out research which very usefully extends our understanding of the social implications of new genetic technologies. The institutional support is very good; the projected research is well planned to provide the baseline picture that is needed. Dissemination will assure its research appropriate audiences. Support is highly recommended.
