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Scientists worry about some risks more than the public

Nature Nanotechnology volume 2, pages 732–734 (2007)Cite this article

A comparison between two recent national surveys among nanoscientists and the general public in the US shows that, in general, nanoscientists are more optimistic than the public about the potential benefits of nanotechnology. However, for some issues related to the environmental and long-term health impacts of nanotechnology, nanoscientists were significantly more concerned than the public.

In previous controversies surrounding emerging technologies, such as nuclear energy and food biotechnology, scientists, in most cases, perceived lower risks associated with these new technologies than the general public or the journalists covering these stories. These findings seem to hold in both the US and Europe1,2,3, and most recently, an exploratory comparison of a quota sample of 375 lay people and a convenience sample of 46 experts in Switzerland suggested that the same pattern is beginning to emerge for nanotechnology as well4.

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Figure 1: Perceived risks and benefits of nanotechnology.

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Acknowledgements

This material is based on work supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (SES-0531194) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School (135GL82). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF or the UW-Madison Graduate School. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to D.A.S.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Department of Life Sciences Communication, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 440 Henry Mall, Madison, 53706, Wisconsin, USA

    Dietram A. Scheufele

  2. The School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University, 411 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, 85004, Arizona, USA

    Elizabeth A. Corley

  3. The School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 821 University Avenue, Madison, 53706, Wisconsin, USA

    Sharon Dunwoody, Tsung-Jen Shih & Elliott Hillback

  4. The Department of Political Science, Arizona State University, PO Box 874401, Tempe, 85287, Arizona, USA

    David H. Guston

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  1. Dietram A. Scheufele
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Correspondence to Dietram A. Scheufele.

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Scheufele, D., Corley, E., Dunwoody, S. et al. Scientists worry about some risks more than the public. Nature Nanotech 2, 732–734 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2007.392

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