Human Practice

Questionnaires

May festival (Gogatsu-sai)

iGEM Japan

iGEM Kyoto suggested "Human Practice iGEM Japan" project to other iGEM teams in Japan. Five Universities (including Kyoto) participated in this project. iGEM Kyoto leads the project, and successfully we have gotten over 1500 answers! According to the results, we revealed the difference of opinion between students and the others.We also found that Japanese have a positive impression about biotechnology, but in parallel they worry about the safety very much.

Methods

Five out of the nine Japanese teams, KIT-Kyoto, Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo_Metropolitan, and UT-Tokyo took part in this project. We all used paper-based questionnaire, but the places and terms are different depending on teams.

Targets, Terms, and Places

KIT-Kyoto

• Students
  • July 12 - September 26 at Kyoto Institute of Technology University
• Others
  • August 10 at Open Campus in Kyoto Institute of Technology University

Kyoto

• Students
  • July 12 - September 26 at Kyoto University
• Others
  • August 28, 29 at Masukata Shopping Street, Kyoto
  • September 4 at Grace Tanaka, a supermarket, Kyoto
  • September 11, 12 at Coop Shimogamo, Kyoto

Osaka

• Others
  • August 10 at Osaka University from high school student or their parents

Tokyo_Metropolitan

• Students
  • July 1 - September 26 at Tokyo Metropolitan University
  • July 30 - September 26 (Tokyo_Metropolitan team member’s friends)
• Others
  • June 30 - July 2 in BIO EXPO JAPAN (http://www.bio-expo.jp/en/Home/) at Tokyo.
  • July 16 in Public Forum on Education Development Project at Tokyo Metropolitan University
  • July 18, August 20 in Open Lab at Tokyo Metropolitan University
  • September 18, 19 in Mitaka Science and Technology Fair at Tokyo
  • August 7 - September 26 (Tokyo_Metropolitan team member's family and acquaintances)

UT-Tokyo

• Others (High School Students)
  • July 31 at SEG, a cram school, Tokyo

Questionnaire

We made 2 similar kinds of questionnaire. One is "Attitude survey of genetic engineering" and the other is "Attitude survey of biotechnology." They are almost the same, but "Attitude survey of biotechnology" has a little different question from "Attitude survey of genetic engineering". We only changed the word "genetic engineering" of the survey for "biotechnology" in order to make "Attitude survey of biotechnology."

And we attempted to indicate difference of image between "genetic engineering" and "biotechnology".

Attitude survey of ( genetic engineering or biotechnology )

1. When shopping, do you buy "not genetically modified food”?
   • [ Always buy / Tend to buy / Hardly mind / Not mind / I have never seen such an indication ]
2. What do you associate with ( genetic engineering or biotechnology )? (※Please encircle all that apply)
   • [ Clone / GM crops (foods) / Patent / DNA / Genome / Medicine / Cosmetic / Bioethics / Virus / Artificial Life / Novel Prize / Environment / Biological weapon / iPS cells, ES cells / Biofuel / Biohazard / Others( ) ]
3. If there is no difference in effectiveness, what do you think about using the drugs manufactured by ( genetic engineering or biotechnology )?
   • [ Not mind I use / Hardly mind I use / If possible, I don't want to use / I must not use / I don't know ]
4. What do you think of the artificial genetic mutation by ( genetic engineering or biotechnology )?
   • [ Bad / Little bad / Little good / Good ]
5. Which trend of information about ( genetic engineering or biotechnology ) is major, negative or positive?
   • [ Negative / About the same degree / Positive / No idea ]
6. Do you think Japan actively tackles on ( genetic engineering or biotechnology )?
   • [ Yes / Partly yes / Not so much / No ]
7. Do you think the research on ( genetic engineering or biotechnology ) should continue?
   • [ Yes / No ]
   • If you answered [Yes], please encircle every fit reason from below.
     1. Because it may be useful for food crisis.
     2. Because it may solve environmental problems.
     3. Because it may solve energy problems.
     4. Because it may be applied to medicine.
     5. Because it may create a business opportunity.
     6. Because it can be used in the preservation of the species.
     7. Because it symbolizes the development of science and technology.
     8. Because it has already been put to practical use in many countries.
     9. Because it has many possibilities.
     10. Because it is interesting as an academic subject or a research topic.
     11. Others( )
   • If you answered [No], please encircle every reason from below.
     1. Because it can create evil things harmful to environment and humans.
     2. Because products of it can be harmful to ecosystem.
     3. Because products of it can be harmful to human body.
     4. Because it is unethical.
     5. Because people say it is dangerous.
     6. Because it can be applied to evil use.
     7. Because there are not enough laws governing it.
     8. Because it can be replaced by other technologies.
     9. Because it seems to have less potential than other technologies.
     10. Because I feel somehow uneasy in using it.
     11. Others( )
8. Have you ever heard the word, "Synthetic biology"?
   • [ Yes / No ]

[ This is the common Method article of participating universities of “iGEM Japan Human Practice”(KIT-Kyoto, Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo_Metropolitan, and UT-Tokyo).iGEM Kyoto has the responsibility for the wording. ]

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