This is a study of the relationship between trust in institutions and attitudes to gene technology in general, and GM food and stem cell research in particular. The role of so-called active trust is emphasised, meaning that trust is neither conceived as a trait nor a one-dimensional concept. The study uses data from a Eurobarometer survey of gene technology in Europe, conducted in 2002. People's attitudes in five European counties, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and United Kingdom are compared, and the significance of trust in institutions in these countries is investigated. The results show that trust in institutions has an impact on attitudes to gene technology. Trust in experts, stakeholders and official bodies are associated with positive attitudes to GM food and stem cell research, whereas trust in Non-Governmental Organisations is associated with negative perceptions of these technologies. This confirms the significant role of active trust.

When it comes to issues such as genetic engineering, it is important to take into account external sources in the understanding of attitude formation. It is evident that there might be differences in media coverage, policy decisions and other culturally based sources of information when comparing the South with the North of Europe. The objective of this background is to give a short summary of the situation concerning genetic engineering in each cluster of countries in the South and the North of Europe. © 2003 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.