Objectives: This study aims to examine the effects of information on the security perception of people on Dual-Use Technologies (DUT), more specifically genome engineering. Genome engineering is a...Show moreObjectives: This study aims to examine the effects of information on the security perception of people on Dual-Use Technologies (DUT), more specifically genome engineering. Genome engineering is a group of technologies that have made it possible for scientists to construct entire genes and microbial genomes from scratch, in addition to being able to modify an organism’s genetic material (Tucker, 2012a). Design: Self-administered web-based cross-sectional survey, designed using Qualtrics. The data were analysed with version 28.0.1.0 (142) of the statistical software package IBM® SPSS® Statistics. Participants: Participants over the age of 18 were included in the survey. A total of 129 respondents participated in the survey. The results of 9 participants were excluded due to non- completion, leaving 120 participants. Of those, 112 were between 18 and 32 years old. Furthermore, 109 participants lived in Europe, with a majority of 67 participants living in Germany. Outcomes: Baseline awareness surrounding DUT. Risk perception of genome engineering and security perception measures when exposed to different vignettes. Results: The results showed that 45.8% of respondents were aware of DUT and 44.2% knew examples of DUT. The analysis of variance proved not to be statistically significant p = .512. Conclusion: After running an Independent-Samples Kruskal Wallis Test to determine if there were differences in secperception scores between the three vignettes, the results were p = .512 and proved not to be statistically significant. Therefore, the null hypothesis is retained, proving that there is no significant change in security perception when being exposed to different amounts and types of information.Show less
