title: The synthetic biology puzzle: a qualitative study on public reflections towards a governance framework.
abstract: Synthetic biology is currently one of the most debated emerging biotechnologies. The societal assessment of this technology is primarily based on contributions by scientists and policy makers, who focus mainly on technical challenges and possible risks. While public dialogue is given, it is yet rather limited. This study explores public debates concerning synthetic biology based on a focus group study with citizens from Austria and Germany and contextualises the analysed public views with content from policy reports and previous empirical studies on public engagement. The findings suggest that discussants favoured a gradual implementation process of synthetic biology, which is receptive to questions about the distribution of possible benefits. The discussed topics correspond in many ways with content from policy reports and former investigations, yet the emphasis of the discussions was different for many aspects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Political Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.|Chair for Systematic Theology II (Ethics), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Kochstraße 6, 91504 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Starkbaum
authors.affiliation: Chair for Systematic Theology II (Ethics), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Kochstraße 6, 91504 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.affiliation: Chair for Systematic Theology II (Ethics), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Kochstraße 6, 91504 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dabrock
keywords: Bioethics; Emerging biotechnologies; Public engagement; Synthetic biology