Ed. Note:  The following is a press release issued by Results For America, a program of the Civil Society Institute.  Any opinions expressed in this release are solely those of Results For America and do not represent the views of Chiari & Syringomyelia News or C&S Patient Education Foundation.  Chiari & Syringomyelia News has not taken a position on the use of stem cells for research, but is dedicated to delivering the latest news, including news about stem cell research.

Independent Voter Support for Ending Bush Limits on Stem Cell Lines is Strong

April 26, 2004

Two out of three voters in 18 key states support overriding the Bush administration’s limits on federal government funding for stem cell research, according to a new survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates on behalf of the Results for America (RFA) project of the Civil Society Institute. The survey also shows that a crucial bloc – independent voters – support funding for stem cells over and above the Bush restrictions by a wide 58-point margin (70 percent to 12 percent).

The 18 states covered in the RFA survey are Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maine, New
Hampshire, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona,
Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri and West Virginia.

In August 2001, the Bush administration established a new restriction on federal funding for
embryonic stem cell research. The restriction means that research on stem cell lines created before
August 2001 can receive funding, but funding is prohibited for research on stem cell lines
developed after that date. The new survey results show that voters overwhelmingly oppose this
restriction and favor funding for research using newer stem cell lines. Fully 65 percent of voters
support expanding federal government funding for stem cell lines created after August 2001,
including 50 percent who feel strongly, compared with only 17 percent who support maintaining
the Bush administration’s August 2001 restrictions.

Peter D. Hart Research Associates Senior Vice President Guy Molyneaux said: “What we really
found is this: The center of the electorate clearly embraces the importance of stem cell
research. Clearly, the potential of stem cell research to produce treatments for a wide range
of diseases and conditions is a very powerful consideration for voters. Even subgroups
originally resistant to the idea, such as Evangelicals and Republicans, support stem cell
research after hearing a description of the process and potential of the research, despite the
explicit recognition of the embryo destruction required. The most convincing argument is
that embryonic stem cell research is similar to organ donation in that neither organ donors
nor frozen embryos will live and that there is a great medical need for both, with 69 percent
finding this ‘very’ or ‘fairly convincing.’”

Civil Society Institute President Pam Solo said: “Stem cell research is something that Americans
want to see advanced in an ethical and expeditious manner, using fertilized eggs from fertility
clinics destined to be discarded for research. Hundreds of millions of Americans are touched
directly or indirectly by chronic illnesses and physical conditions that could be cured or
treated more effectively as a result of embryonic stem cell research. The vast majority of
Americans, regardless of religious affiliation or political party, understand the need for
moving ahead with stem cell research. As a student of theology and the parent of a child with
Type 1 diabetes, I find these survey findings to be hopeful both on moral grounds and in
terms of the prospects for life-saving research.”

KEY FINDINGS
• Nearly all voters have a personal connection to the issue. More than two-thirds (68 percent)
have some experience with cancer, and more than half (58 percent) have been affected by heart
disease. Aside from these two more widespread diseases, 49 percent of voters report having a
close personal friend or family member who has suffered from Alzheimer’s disease,
Parkinson’s disease, juvenile diabetes, or spinal cord injury – and thus could be affected by
medical research on stem cells. Almost nine out of 10 voters (86 percent) report having a
family member or close friend who potentially could benefit from stem cell research.

• Voters strongly support federal funding for medical research. Even when compared with
other items such as national defense, transportation, or education, 59 percent of voters say that
federal funding for medical research should be a high priority, including 31 percent who say
that it should be a very high priority. Another 35 percent say that funding for medical research
should be a moderate priority. Just 6 percent do not see medical research funding as a priority
for the federal government. Support is higher among Democrats (64 percent) than among
Republicans (46 percent), and is highest among the politically important independents (67
percent).

• Independents strongly favor stem cell research. Democrats and Republicans tend to have
different views on embryonic stem cell research in general. Democrats favor stem cell
research by a 46-point margin (65 percent to 19 percent), whereas Republicans oppose stem cell
research by a narrower nine-point margin (47 percent to 38 percent). However, independents
have a view that is much closer to that of Democrats than Republicans. Independent voters
favor stem cell research by a 32-point margin (55 percent to 23 percent).

• Religion is another strong predictor of voters’ views on stem cell research. As expected,
support is low among evangelical Protestants (34 percent) but much stronger among mainline
Protestants (59 percent). Significantly, Catholics (54 percent) support stem cell research nearly
as strongly as the mainline Protestants.

• The more people have heard about the issue, the more they support stem cell research.
Voters who say that they know a lot about the issue support stem cell research by 68 percent to
26 percent, whereas voters who say that they know little about the issue support it by a much
smaller 36 percent to 30 percent.

• Support grows with more information. Support for embryonic stem cell research increases 13
percentage points to 66 percent when people are informed that couples are donating unwanted
embryos that otherwise would be discarded. After hearing a more detailed description of
embryonic stem cell research and the diseases it can help cure, support grows even more.
Overall, three in four (76 percent) voters support stem cell research after hearing the following
description: “Embryonic stem cells are special cells that can develop into every type of cell in
the human body. The stem cells are extracted from frozen embryos in fertility clinics, donated
by couples who no longer want or need the embryo. This process destroys the embryo. These
stem cells can then reproduce on their own, creating what is called a ‘line’ of stem cells that
many researchers can work with. Scientists believe that there is a good chance that stem cells
can be developed into cures or treatments for diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's,
juvenile diabetes, and spinal cord injuries.”

• Arguments for expanded stem cell research are more persuasive than the arguments against
it. Two-thirds (65 percent) of voters agree that our government should support rather than stand
in the way of research that will help ease the suffering of more than 100 million Americans who
are suffering from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other diseases and conditions. A similar level
of (63 percent) of voters are convinced by the argument that if embryos that donors no longer
need are not used for research, fertility clinics will simply discard them with no benefit to
medical research. An equal proportion find the support of the American Medical Association,
the National Academy of Science, National Institutes of Health, the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Association of research on new stem cell lines a convincing
reason to lift the August 2001 restrictions on federal funding.

Full survey findings are available online at http://www.ResultsForAmerica.org.

METHODOLOGY
From March 24 to 29, 2004, Peter D. Hart Research Associates conducted a telephone survey on
behalf of the Civil Society Institute. This survey was conducted among registered voters in 18
states and was designed to explore public opinion on federal funding for stem cell research. The
states included were Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maine, New Hampshire, Wisconsin,
Minnesota, Iowa, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana,
Arkansas, Missouri and West Virginia. With 802 interviews, the margin of error for this survey is
plus or minus 3.5 percent, with larger margins of error for subgroups.

ABOUT RESULTS FOR AMERICA
Results for America (http://www.ResultsforAmerica.org) is a project of the Civil Society Institute,
which is based in Newton, Massachusetts. The mission of CSI is to serve as a catalyst for change
by creating problem-solving interactions among people, and between communities, government
and business, that can help to improve society. (Visit Civil Society Institute on the Web at
http://www.CivilSocietyInstitute.org.) RFA seeks to shape and tap the tremendous amount of
community-level knowledge, experience and innovative action that could solve America's problems
in four key areas, including: “Healthy Families, Healthy Economy, Healthy America.” It also
supports a commitment to biomedical technologies and breakthrough treatments and cures for life threatening
illnesses that affect millions of us.

CONTACT: Christine Kraly, for Civil Society Institute, (703) 276-3258 or
ckraly@hastingsgroup.com.

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