Biotech remains unloved by the more informed

Public hostility towards biotechnologies is frequently attributed to lack of information, due to poor and insufficient media coverage. For this reason, scientific researchers and policy-makers often call for journalists to give more attention to scientific issues, for better information campaigns and for more communication of science, to improve general understanding and thereby lead to greater public support for biotechnologies and other innovations. Our results confirm previous suspicions that exposure to information does not always lead to greater trust in biotechnologies. We also find that greater exposure to science in the media does not necessarily mean a higher level of understanding.