Sir

You reported the results of a German project on perceptions of biotechnology, saying that Germans are deeply suspicious of genetic engineering and that expectations are predominantly negative (Nature 393, 299; 1998). But our study shows that the predominant attitude of Germans towards genetic engineering is in fact ambivalence.

Half the population thinks that genetic engineering is neither good nor bad. Along with this ambivalent perception of genetic engineering in general, there are rather clear, and differentiated, reactions to specific applications of genetic engineering. Fewer than 2% of the sample either agree with or reject all applications.

Medical and pharmaceutical applications are accepted at the same level as other positively evaluated, uncontested technologies, for example computer and information technologies. Agricultural applications are still not accepted.