BioWorld International Correspondent

LONDON - Attitudes to biotechnology in Europe are thawing, according the sixth Eurobarometer survey, which questioned 25,000 people across the 25 member states.

European citizens are "more optimistic about technology, more informed and more trusting of the biotechnology system," said the report, adding, "the public is not risk averse about technological innovations that are seen to promise tangible benefits."

The one exception remains genetically modified crops, which the public sees as not useful and as morally unacceptable and a risk to society. Even here, there is scope to shift attitudes through public information campaigns because only 50 percent had fixed views. Of those, 58 percent were opposed to GM technology.

"The lesson for agri-food biotechnology is that unless new crops and products are seen to have consumer benefits, the public will continue to be skeptical," the report said.

However, there is no evidence that opposition to GM food is a manifestation of a wider disenchantment. There is broad support for medical and industrial biotechnologies and stem cell research. Europeans support the development of nanotechnology, pharmacogenetics and gene therapy. All three are perceived as useful to society and morally acceptable. Neither nanotechnology or pharmacogenetics are perceived to be risky, and while the public does see a risk in gene therapy, they are prepared to discount the risk because of perceived benefits.

Previous Eurobarometer surveys on biotechnology were carried out in 1991, 1993, 1996 and 2002. The latest survey, completed in 2005 shows that overall Europeans are optimistic about the contribution of technology to their way of life. Looking back over the surveys in biotech and other fields an "index of optimism" shows a high and stable level for computers and information technology and solar energy. But the index of optimism for biotechnology declined steeply from 1991 to 1999. From 1999 the trend reversed and optimism now is back to the level recorded in 1991.

One interesting factor is that it is the first time the 10 accession states that joined the European Union in May 2004 have been part of the survey. The report said the 10 new members have "probably not" changed the scientific culture of the European Union.

"Collectively the new countries are just about as heterogeneous as are the old EU15 countries, judged by this set of indicators," concluded the report.

Furthermore, it is wrong to say European public opinion is a constraint to technological innovation and contributes to a technology gap between the U.S. and Europe. With the exception of nuclear energy, Europeans are more or less as optimistic as people in the U.S. and Canada about a range of technologies.