From designer babies to edited food: comparing public attitudes toward CRISPR technology and gene editing in Japan and the United States

The perception of bioethics is said to vary based on culture and religion, and research has often been confined to specific topics such as genome-edited babies. In this study, four different scenarios using CRISPR technology and gene editing (designer babies, de novo embryo production, crop improvement, and malaria mosquito control) were presented to measure the attitudes of people in Japan and the United States. The most influential demographic factor was age, with older individuals in both countries expressing greater concern. In the United States, the higher the educational level and annual income, the more people tended to support these scenarios. In both Japan and the United States, the higher the level of knowledge, the more people tended to oppose them. Furthermore, using the ELSI sheet originally developed for AI research to quantify the degree of public concern across ELSI dimensions, it was revealed that Japanese individuals are concerned about the ‘L’ factor, which corresponds to legal and policy frameworks, while Americans are more concerned about the ‘S’ factor, representing traditional and religious viewpoints. Therefore, international analysis using the ELSI sheet not only facilitates better dialogue within each country but also proves useful for sharing points to consider when establishing international regulations.