Floridians on the fence about animal research
October 28th, 2011 by admin
Yesterday, the results of a new public opinion poll of Floridians were released. The poll asked questions about science and health. Research!America, who commissioned the poll, put a positive spin on the results, concluding that Floridians strongly support scientific research. According to the poll, more than 80% responded positively to softball questions like, “How important is it for Florida to be a leader in science and medical research?”
But when it came to questions that were more specific, the results were mixed. ARFF was surprised and encouraged by the response to the question, “Do you believe the use of animals in medical research is necessary for progress in medicine?” Only 52% said yes (25% said no and 23% said they were not sure). If you consider the margin of error for the poll (+/- 3.5%), it cannot be claimed that a majority of Floridians support animal research.
Another interesting result: When Floridians were asked, “Can you name a living scientist?”, most couldn’t name anyone, but among those who could, Jane Goodall was one of the top five!
Visit ARFF’s website to learn more about animal research in Florida.