This study examines the relationship between
trust and public attitudes towards new technologies in Australia.
Using data from the 2003 and 2004 Swinburne National Technology
and Society Monitors, we ask: does the trustworthiness of
the key institutions and people behind new technologies have
an impact on how comfortable people are with new technologies?
Our analysis shows that, for the majority
of Australians, levels of trust in science are predictive
of levels of comfort with new technologies, and the relationship
is particularly strong for biological technologies, including
stem cell research. We also found a positive relationship
for the majority of respondents between trust in government,
business and media and comfort with technologies. We expected
that Australians would be more trusting of public than private
institutions, and that their levels of trust in institutions
might vary across different demographic groups, in particular
gender, religiosity, and occupational category. We found
evidence to support these expectations.
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