Bryan Frank

Abstract:

Genetic editing has come into the scientific spotlight in recent years. As this technology has developed and become better known, the opinions held about the use of this technology by the general populous have evolved. People’s ever changing opinions could affect the future funding and development of these tools. Currently, there is a lack of data on current high school students' opinions of genetic editing. This paper works to fill this gap of knowledge and then compare high school students’ opinions on genetic editing to that of older generations. Participants in this study were all high school students from the Pittsburgh area ranging between the ages of fourteen to eighteen. Participants took an online survey on Google Forms and were asked demographic questions as well as questions regarding their opinion on the limits of genetic editing. This study found that while the degree of religious beliefs of a participant was a predictor of their opinion on genetic editing, it is not as strong of a predictor as it is with older individuals. This study also found that although high school females overall support genetic editing less than males, they are the more supportive gender when it comes to the use of genetic editing in ethically questionable situations. The last major finding of this study was that current high school students are more supportive of genetic editing than people of the older generations.