A Survey on Nanotechnology in the View of the Turkish Public

Abstract

There is considerable interest in public understanding of emerging technologies because public understanding can have an important effect on the implementation of these technologies. Although there are many studies that have focused on public understanding of nanotechnology, no studies on this topic have been conducted in the Turkish public. Therefore, this study was conducted to reveal the status of the Turkish public’s perception of nanotechnology. A survey, including several items that assessed Turkish public opinion about nanotechnology and identified participant demographics, was used to collect data. The sample comprised 513 participants. The results of the dataset indicate that the Turkish public is unfamiliar with nanotechnology. In fact, most of the sample had heard little or nothing about nanotechnology. However, the respondents displayed positive emotions toward nanotechnology. The results of this study provide initial insights into the Turkish public’s perception of nanotechnology.