Public Understandings of Biotechnology in New Zealand: Nature, Clean Green Image and Spirituality

Studies in Innovation and Change Public Understandings of Biotechnology in New Zealand: Nature, Clean Green Image and Spirituality Fiona J Coyle Crystal Maslin John R Fairweather and Lesley M Hunt November 2003 Research Report No. 265 Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit P O Box 84 Lincoln University Canterbury New Zealand Ph: (64) (3) 325 2811 Fax: (64) (3) 325 3847 http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/AERU/ ISSN 1170-7682 ISBN 0-909042-XX-X i ii Contents LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................V PREFACE.............................................................................................................................VII ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................. IX SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... XI CHAPTER 1 BIOTECHNOLOGY IN NEW ZEALAND: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES........................................................................................................................1 1.1 Biotechnology .........................................................................................................1 1.2 Context of the Study ...............................................................................................2 1.3 Regulating Biotechnology in New Zealand............................................................3 1.4 The Public Imagination: Influential Introductions to Biotechnology .....................4 1.5 Other Issues that Influence the Biotechnology Debate...........................................8 1.6 Summary .................................................................................................................9 CHAPTER 2 THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON BIOTECHNOLOGY.................11 2.1 Introduction...........................................................................................................11 2.2 International Perspectives on Risk Perception......................................................11 2.3 National Studies on Biotechnology.......................................................................17 2.4 The PABE Report .................................................................................................21 2.5 Summary ...............................................................................................................24 CHAPTER 3 APPROACH TO THE FOCUS GROUP RESEARCH..............................27 3.1 Introduction...........................................................................................................27 3.2 Situated Knowledges.............................................................................................27 3.3 Focus Group Methodology – A Rationale ............................................................28 3.4 Recruitment...........................................................................................................31 3.5 Research subjects/locales......................................................................................31 3.6 Demographic Data ................................................................................................31 3.7 Application of the Focus Group Method ..............................................................37 3.8 A Reflective Critique ............................................................................................39 3.9 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................40 CHAPTER 4 BIOTECHNOLOGY ISSUES AND MEANINGS ......................................41 4.1 Introduction...........................................................................................................41 4.2 Contemporary Issues Relating to Biotechnology in New Zealand.......................41 4.3 Meanings of Biotechnology..................................................................................49 4.4 Uniformity and Difference....................................................................................55 4.5 Summary ...............................................................................................................56 CHAPTER 5 NATURE, CLEAN GREEN NEW ZEALAND AND SPIRITUAL VALUES .................................................................................................................................59 5.1 Introduction...........................................................................................................59 5.2 Nature/Natures ......................................................................................................59 5.3 New Zealand’s Clean Green Image ......................................................................73 5.4 Spirituality.............................................................................................................78 5.5 Summary ...............................................................................................................84 iii CHAPTER 6 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION............................................................87 6.1 Introduction...........................................................................................................87 6.2 Overall Summary of Results.................................................................................87 6.3 Discussion of Results............................................................................................90 6.4 Implications for Policy..........................................................................................96 6.5 Limitations of Current Study and Further Research .............................................97 REFERENCES.......................................................................................................................99 APPENDIX 1 DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEY ......................................................................103 APPENDIX 2 PHASE 1: FOCUS GROUP GUIDE .........................................................105 APPENDIX 3 FOCUS GROUP GUIDE – PHASE II ......................................................113 APPENDIX 4 BIOTECHNOLOGY CARTOONS...........................................................117 APPENDIX 5 THE HUMAN MILK-MACHINE.............................................................119 iv List of Tables Table 1 Age category...............................................................................................................32 Table 2 Gender.........................................................................................................................32 Table 3 Marital Status..............................................................................................................32 Table 4 Numbers of Children ..................................................................................................33 Table 5 Nationalities................................................................................................................33 Table 6 Ethnicity......................................................................................................................34 Table 7 Country of Birth..........................................................................................................34 Table 8 Employment Status.....................................................................................................35 Table 9 Occupational Categories.............................................................................................36 Table 10 Personal Income Categories......................................................................................36 Table 11 Highest Level of Education ......................................................................................37 v vi Preface Biotechnology is the use of living organisms to make products and solve problems. In New Zealand, its has made national headlines through public controversies over genetically modified corn, cloned sheep and the transplantation of animal cells into human bodies. Whilst scientists and government bodies make decisions regarding the applicability and ethical standards of such research, the public are sometimes not given full attention in this decision-making process. This report presents the findings of a series of focus groups across New Zealand that concentrated on public perceptions of novel biotechnologies. It focuses specifically on the role of nature, ‘clean green’ image and spirituality in determining the acceptability of a series of recent innovations. A parallel report focuses on how and why focus group members ranked five selected biotechnologies. Professor Caroline Saunders vii viii Acknowledgements This research was funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (LINX0204). It would not have been possible without the help of a number of school Parent Teachers Associations, Friends of the School groups and individuals throughout the country. Thanks to Glen Greer for assistance as a note-taker and valuable advice on the focus group method, and Paul Cloke for guidance about the new literature on environmental ethics. ix x Summary • Focus groups explored public attitudes and values about the use of new biotechnologies in New Zealand. These groups spanned the whole of New Zealand and emphasised the acceptability of specific examples of new medical, agricultural and environmental biotechnologies, and the reasons underlying this. • The report builds on previous work

Load more