Public Awareness of Novel Technologies: DNA Data Storage as a study case

Public dialogue and engagement are being increasingly recognized in the development of new technologies because they help to create more engaged, inclusive, and trustworthy relationship between institutions, scientists, and the wider public[1],[2]. Moreover, public attitudes to novel technologies are one of the most important factors determining the success of new products and applications. Nevertheless, assessing public perceptions of novel technologies is problematic because they are highly complex, and their implications are not yet fully known. We conducted a study aiming to assesses public attitudes to DNA data storage research, which is currently in development. A small-scale qualitative online survey was conducted to engage with the publics and to assess views on DNA data storage technology. This early engagement survey revealed very low awareness of this developing technology, whilst at the same time, participants showed interest and asked questions relating to social and economic implications. The findings recommend greater interdisciplinary collaborations between social scientists and novel technology developers and encourages qualitative survey as one of the methodological tools for assessing public attitudes.

[1] Frewer, L. (2003) Societal Issues and public attitudes towards genetically modified foods, Trends in Food Science &Technology, vol. 14 pp 319 – 332.

[2] UKRI (2022) Research and innovation for all: UKRI’s public engagement strategy, online at: https://www.ukri.org/publications/ukri-public-engagement-strategy/