The source of this article is the Houston Chronical: http://tinyurl.com/5bpfs

Sept. 8, 2004, 12:29AM

Poll supports stem cell research
65 percent of respondents say they favor using discarded embryos
By TODD ACKERMAN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

A strong majority of Americans support the use of discarded embryos for stem cell research, according to a poll commissioned by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
 
The nationwide poll of attitudes about health and health policy found roughly two-thirds of respondents — 65 percent in one question and 72 percent in another — favor research on human embryos left over at fertility clinics. Federal funding of such research has become a key issue in the 2004 presidential campaign.

"That's consistent with an increase in support for stem cell research found in other polls," said Matthew Nisbet, an Ohio State University professor of communications who has studied public opinion of stem cell research. "More and more people are reporting having read, heard or seen something positive about the medical potential of stem cells."

The poll, conducted by Zogby International, also found that health care costs are Americans' No. 1 health concern, cited by 47 percent of respondents. Obesity was second, and lack of exercise third.

But the poll also found that most Americans think they're in above average health and will live a long time, say they eat healthily and go to their doctor regularly, and overwhelmingly favor spending money on cancer research rather than sending a man to Mars.

In all, 61 questions were asked randomly of 1,203 adults by telephone between Aug. 16 and Aug. 20. A team of UT-Houston researchers hopes to publish an analysis of the data in the coming months.

Dr. S. Ward Casscells III, a UT-Houston administrator who worked with Zogby on the questions, said the poll was taken to provide more current data to the health science center and other Texas Medical Center researchers accustomed to dated information. He said he was surprised at how knowledgeable people were about health issues.

He and John Zogby, president of Zogby International, said they were struck that the poll also found most people think their doctors should focus more on preventing illness rather than just treating it.

"One take-home message from the poll was that people are more interested in hearing about prevention from their doctors," said Casscells. "They want their doctors to focus on eating habits, exercise and supplements and help them understand what's causing the illness instead of prescribing more and more medication to treat the symptoms."

The stem cell questions found 72 percent of respondents say it is ethical to conduct research into diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's or juvenile diabetes on leftover embryos, up from 54 percent in 2001. When the question gave respondents other options for the embryos — destroying them, leaving them in the freezer, encouraging women to implant them — the number favoring using them for research dropped to 65 percent.

Nisbet said the support for stem cell research was a little higher than in other polls because 48 percent of the poll's respondents had a college degree, more than twice the amount in the overall population. He also said the wording of the questions, stressing the medical promise they hold, "primed" respondents for a positive answer.

Embryonic stem cell research is controversial because the embryo is killed in the process. In 2001, President Bush announced the federal government would provide $25 million for research on less than two dozen cell lines derived from embryos already destroyed by that date. Democratic candidate John Kerry proposes increasing the funding to $100 million and allowing research on stem cells created from any leftover embryos.

The poll did not ask respondents their views on research involving embryos created for their stem cells, which have enjoyed less support in other polls.

It found a majority said it isn't ethical to conceive a child for the purpose of harvesting stem cells to save an existing child's life.

The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

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