OMAHA, (Neb) The Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures released the results of a poll indicating that a majority of Nebraskans support embryonic stem cell research overall, and specifically they support it being conducted in Nebraska, by a ratio of nearly three-to-one over strong opposition or, 69 percent in favor and 25 percent opposed.
Among other key findings is that most voters believe that embryonic stem cell research has the potential to save lives, treat many serious diseases and benefit someone they know. When respondents were asked how well a series of phrases describes embryonic stem cell research, those that stood out included “could save lives,” “has the promise of treating many serious diseases,” could benefit someone you know,” and “is the future of medicine.”
“Considering all of the discoveries in stem cell research and advances in clinical application this past year or two, we believed that it would be useful to see what the public perceptions were about the current Stem Cell Nebraska Law,” said David Crouse, PhD, president of the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures and emeritus professor in the College of Medicine, Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. “We were pleased to see how supportive the majority of Nebraskans appeared.”
Under current Nebraska law, embryonic stem cell research using state funds or facilities is only allowed when using stem cell lines created elsewhere, subject to federal laws, rules and regulations. Fifty-three percent of respondents back the current law as opposed to 41 percent who do not. Interestingly, in an open-ended question following the favor/oppose question, a significant majority of opponents say the current law is too restrictive toward embryonic stem cell research, indicating that most of the opposition is based on respondents’ opinion that the law should be more expansive, not more restrictive.
The current law received support among Republicans – 65 percent, individuals identifying themselves as conservative voters – 71 percent, 60 percent of Protestants, 52 percent of Catholics and 76 percent of self-identified religious conservatives.
The statewide survey of registered voters in Nebraska was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies polling 500 voters. The poll concluded that: “Overall, Nebraskans support the current state law regarding embryonic stem cell research. While Democrats feel the law is too restrictive, Republicans and Independents are very supportive.”
The survey was conducted January 14-15 and 17-18 and has a +/- 4.38% in 95 out of 100 cases.
About the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures
The Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures is a statewide organization whose position is that any stem cell research, therapies or cures that are permitted by federal law should be allowed in Nebraska – provided that such activities are conducted ethically and safely and do not involve human reproductive cloning. The Coalition, which was founded in 2000, concentrates on two key areas: education and support of research.
About Public Opinion Strategies
Public Opinion Strategies is one of the nation’s leading public opinion research firms specializing in political, public affairs, public policy, and corporate positioning research. Our roots are in political campaign management. As such, our research is focused on producing data that compels decisions – to get results. To learn more about Public Opinion Strategies go to www.pos.org.
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