Exploring public perspectives on synthetic biology and its integration with sex/gender characteristics

Heajin Kim, Chae-Won Lee, Eunmi Choi and Heisook Lee ()
Additional contact information
Heajin Kim: Korea Center for Gendered Innovations for Science and Technology Research
Chae-Won Lee: Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences
Eunmi Choi: Korea Center for Gendered Innovations for Science and Technology Research
Heisook Lee: Korea Center for Gendered Innovations for Science and Technology Research

Palgrave Communications, 2025, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Synthetic biology is a versatile technology with applications in the environment, medicine, food, energy, and services. Given its direct and indirect impacts on human health, the environment, and food development, sex/gender-integrated research is essential. However, this study is the first to systematically compare public perceptions of synthetic biology with and without sex/gender integration, addressing a critical gap in research. A survey of 300 Korean adults revealed that respondents, regardless of sex/gender, had some knowledge of synthetic biology and generally viewed it positively. Notably, respondents believed that incorporating sex/gender differences in synthetic biology would have a more positive impact than non-inclusive approaches, reinforcing the importance of inclusivity in biotechnology. These findings emphasize that integrating sex/gender into all aspects of synthetic biology development and industrialization is crucial for its sustainable advancement. The growing global emphasis on sex/gender-inclusive research suggests that synthetic biology, as a key future technology, must adopt inclusive approaches to enhance safety, reliability, and public trust.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-025-04960-3 Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-04960-3

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/palcomms/about

DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-04960-3

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Palgrave Communications from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().