Survey of attitude towards biotechnology among the members of an Ethiopian university fraternity

Abstract

Ethiopia, albeit tagged as an underdeveloped nation, boasts astounding biodiversity, a vibrant culture, and the use of numerous traditional bio-techniques and processes. However, the adoption and application of modern biotechnology do not seem to have kept pace here vis-a-vis the rest of the world. In this regard, this survey was conducted among the members of the Addis Ababa Science and Technology University to gauge their attitude towards biotechnology. In this survey, assessment of the response of 2117 participants revealed 72% optimistic and 16% antagonistic attitude towards biotechnology in contrast to a 12% ‘no idea’ response. Religion and gender did not seem to dictate the response. However, domain-specific knowledge (85% supporters), education level (90%, 73%, 41% proponents at doctorate, undergraduate and < 12th-grade level respectively) and age (81% and 63.9% optimistic populace under 19 years and > 30 years respectively) exerted significant influence (p < 0.001). The supportive attitude of the academic staff (84%) surpassed that of their non-academic counterparts (55%). The study provided insight into the perception of a university fraternity towards biotechnology and attested to the indispensability of disseminating contextual information among the general public to facilitate the expansion of the domain as well as policy-making and implementation.