title: A cross-sectional study of biotechnology awareness and teaching in European high schools.
abstract: Undoubtedly, biotechnology has a tremendous impact on our daily lives. As a result of this and in parallel to the advancement of knowledge in this field of applied research, consumer awareness of the potential benefits and risks of this technology has steadily increased, leading to a thorough investigation of the public perception of biotechnology in the past years. Indeed, it has become clear that it is in the general interest of science and especially of applied research to inform the public of its advances. A promising next step is to strengthen biotechnology communication in scholastic institutions. In this paper, we investigate the perception of biotechnology in a specific target group, namely high-school students in the 16-20-year-old age range. We conducted a questionnaire-based survey on a total of 1410 students in six European countries to investigate students' perception, concern, scientific knowledge, and awareness. Our data revealed some unexpected patterns of acceptance and concern about biotechnology. Knowledge analysis indicated that pupils lack specific knowledge about biotechnological applications and their interest in biotechnology appeared to be linked to knowledge. Analysis of specific questions about teaching practices at schools suggests that a better targeted choice in media as vehicles for information together with selected speakers could be instrumental in increasing students' interest in science and more specifically in biotechnology.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant, Animal and Agroecosystem Sciences, Biology Department, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse, 2, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland. hvanderschuren@ethz.ch
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vanderschuren
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heinzmann
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Faso
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stupak
authors.forename: Kazim Yalçin
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Arga
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoerzer
authors.forename: Yech'an
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Laizet
authors.forename: Paulina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leduchowska
authors.forename: Nádia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Klára
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Simková
mesh_terms: D001364:Awareness; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000193:education*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004777:Environment; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D030841:Food, Genetically Modified; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011639:Public Opinion; D012574:Schools; D012586:Science / Q000193:education; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014937:Work