ABSTRACT
There are various ways to study public perceptions and attitudes toward a new technology. In this article some of these variations are explored, and reflections are made about their backgrounds and uses. The chapter focuses upon the field of public perceptions and attitudes toward biotechnology. This field is very topical. Since the discovery of the structure of the double helix by J.D.Watson and F.Crick in 1953, modern biotechnology has progressed from a fundamental science into a considerable number of application areas. New biotechnological methods of producing medicine have already become common practice but have not resulted in much social discussion. Medical applications such as gene therapy, on the other hand, are raising great concern. And with the products of modern food biotechnology now actually coming onto the market, a similar stage has begun in the development of biotechnology.
