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BfR-Jahresbericht 2012 |
| BfR Annual Report 2012
Wie ändern sich die Einstellungen zur
Nanotechnologie in Deutschland?
Nanotechnologie ist eine relativ neue Technologie und die
Einstellungen und Wahrnehmung der Bevölkerung zu ihr sind
noch nicht gefestigt. Für die Risikokommunikation zu diesem
Thema ist es darum wichtig, Verbraucherinnen und Verbrau-
cher kontinuierlich repräsentativ zu befragen. Bereits im Jahr
2007 hatte das BfR die Wahrnehmung zur Nanotechnologie
2007
2012
10 %
Gesamtgefühl zur Nanotechnologie
Overall Feelings about Nanotechnology
20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60 % 70 % 80 % 90 %
Anteil der Befragten (2007 und 2012 jeweils n=1.000 Personen)
Percentage of respondents (2007 and 2012, both n=1,000 participants)
7
5
70
21
1
25
4 4
62
sehr gut/
very well
schlecht/
bad
gut/
good
sehr schlecht/
very bad
weiß nicht/
don't know
untersucht. Fünf Jahre später hat es im Nachfolgeprojekt
„Nanoview“ geprüft, wie sich die Wahrnehmung zur Nano-
technologie in Deutschland entwickelte. Dazu wurde eine re-
präsentative Bevölkerungsbefragung durchgeführt.
Es zeigte sich, dass ein Großteil der Befragten mit dem Be-
griff Nanotechnologie nach wie vor wenig anfangen kann:
Während 2007 rund 33 % der Befragten angaben, Nano-
technologie sei ihnen unbekannt, erhöhte sich der Anteil auf
How are attitudes towards nanotechnology changing in Germany?
Nanotechnology is a relatively new technology and attitudes towards
it and perception of it within the population have not yet been con-
solidated. Where the risk communication of this topic is concerned,
it is therefore important to conduct continuous representative surveys
among consumers. The BfR examined perception of nanotechnol-
ogy as long ago as 2007. Five years later, it examined in the follow-on
project “Nanoview” how perception of nanotechnology in Germany
has developed. A representative survey was conducted among the
general population for this purpose.
It can be seen that a large majority of respondents still do not know
what to make of the term “nanotechnology”: where roughly 33 % of
respondents stated that they knew nothing about nanotechnology in
2007, this percentage increased to around 41 % in 2012. Awareness
of nanotechnology would appear to be waning, but it is becoming
more specialised at the same time, because those who had heard
of the subject were able to say more about it than they were in 2007.
The same trend is also to be seen in a current BfR media analysis of
reporting in the print media (BfR project “NanoMedia”) according to
which there tends to have been less reporting on nanotechnology
in the last five years. The fewer articles that have been published,
however, are more detailed and specific than they were between the
years 2000 and 2007.
Overall, a trend towards more critical attitudes to nanotechnology has
been observed. The percentage of respondents who have a good
or very good overall feeling regarding nanotechnology has dropped
by ten percentage points since 2007 (see chart). The acceptance
of nanotechnologies has also dropped for all products included in
the survey, with medical and environment-related nanotechnology
products receiving more acceptance than those in the food sector.
In 2012, for example, around 76 % of respondents approved of the
use of nanotechnology to cure damaged tooth enamel, in 2007 it
were 80 %. The use of nanotechnology for the enrichment of food
with vitamins, on the other hand, had an approval rating of only 21 %
in 2012, as opposed to 51 % in 2007.
Trust in the institutions and individuals who provide information on na-
notechnology has developed as follows in the last five years: the big-
gest loss of trust has been among business leaders. Where roughly
68 % of respondents had little or no trust in business leaders in 2007,
this percentage rose to approximately 77 % in 2012. This puts this
group on the same level as government representatives whose trust
levels have hardly changed in the last five years. As conveyors of
information, roughly 77 % of respondents placed little or no faith in
them in 2007 and roughly 78 % in 2012. In contrast, consumer organ-
isations and scientists had the greatest trust potential as conveyors of
information in both years. 92 % of respondents had absolute or some
Befragt zu ihrem Gesamtgefühl zum Thema Nanotechnologie gaben 2007 rund 77 % der Befragten an, dass dieses gut oder sehr gut sei.
2012 sank dieser Anteil auf 67 %.
Asked about their overall feelings regarding the subject of nanotechnology, 77 % of respondents stated in 2007 that they were good or very
good. These feelings dropped to 67 % in 2012.
