Public Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Genetics and Genetic Testing

Abstract

Background: Variable health literacy and genetic knowledge may pose significant challenges to engaging the general public in personal genomics, specifically with respect to promoting risk comprehension and healthy behaviors. Methods: We are conducting a multistage study of individual responses to genomic risk information for Type 2 diabetes mellitus. A total of 300 individuals were recruited from the general public in Durham, North Carolina: 60% self-identified as White; 70% female; and 65% have a college degree. As part of the baseline survey, we assessed genetic knowledge and attitudes toward genetic testing. Results: Scores of factual knowledge of genetics ranged from 50% to 100% (average = 84%), with significant differences in relation to racial groups, the education level, and age. Scores were significantly higher on questions pertaining to the inheritance and causes of disease (mean score 90%) compared to scientific questions (mean score 77.4%). Scores on the knowledge survey were significantly higher than scores from European populations. Participants' perceived knowledge of the social consequences of genetic testing was significantly lower than their perceived knowledge of the medical uses of testing. More than half agreed with the statement that testing may affect a person's ability to obtain health insurance (51.3%) and 16% were worried about the consequences of testing for chances of finding a job. Conclusions: Despite the relatively high educational status and genetic knowledge of the study population, we find an imbalance of knowledge between scientific and medical concepts related to genetics as well as between the medical applications and societal consequences of testing, suggesting that more effort is needed to present the benefits, risks, and limitations of genetic testing, particularly, at the social and personal levels, to ensure informed decision making.

Free will, determinism, and intuitive judgments about the heritability of behavior

“…Genetics literacy was assessed from a total of 10 items, 8 selected from the Public Understanding and Attitudes towards Genetics and Genomics (PUGGS; Carver et al 2017) questionnaire and two items used to assess public knowledge on genetics and genetic testing from Haga et al (2013). The full-scale PUGGS questionnaire was constructed to assess the knowledge of college students about genetics and genomics, and consists of 45 items developed and reviewed by international experts from genetics, education, and other fields.…”

Public Views on Genetics and Genetic Testing: A Survey of the General Public in Belgium

“…Recent literature reviews have identified a large number of empirical studies on attitudes toward GT (Haga et al, 2013;Sweeny et al, 2014). Most of these studies focus on GT for specific medical conditions or particular demographic groups.…”

Public opinion on policy issues in genetics and genomics

“…3 However, many studies are limited by samples that are unrepresentative of the general population, making it difficult to assess the generalizability of the results. [4][5][6] When national polls are conducted, the focus is usually limited to a single condition, such as cancer or depression. 7,8 Additionally, more attention has been given to how individuals respond to genetic risk [9][10][11] rather than assessing their policy opinions.…”