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The Harris Poll® #26, June 5,
2002
If Genetic Tests Were Available for Diseases Which Could be
Treated or Prevented, Many People Would Pay to Have Them
_____________________________________________________
by Humphrey Taylor
The Harris Poll® finds that a large number of people
would be interested in paying for genetic tests with their own money, if there
were effective treatments, or ways of greatly reducing the risk, for the
relevant diseases.
While many people are not very familiar with the concept of genetic testing,
a majority claims to be at least somewhat familiar. And more than four out of
five adults believe (when it is explained to them) that genetic testing is a
good thing.
These are some of the results of the latest issue of The Harris Poll®,
conducted by telephone by Harris InteractiveSM among a national
cross-section of 1,013 adults aged 18 and over, between May 15th and
21st, 2002.
This poll by Harris Interactive found people’s interest in having a genetic
test varies substantially, depending on whether or not there is a treatment or a
way of substantially reducing the risks of getting the genetically inherited
disease. However, fully half of all adults say they would be interested in
having a test for a very serious disease even if there was no known treatment
or a way to prevent it.
Of those who are interested in having a genetic test for a serious
disease for which there is an effective treatment, many people say they would be
willing to spend substantial amounts to get it. The median number is just a
little over $300, and 34% of all those interested in having these tests say they
would be willing to pay more than $400 for genetic tests.
This survey also finds that the public has strong opinions about who should,
and who should not, have access to their genetic test results.
The key findings of this survey include:
- 70% of the public say they are at least somewhat familiar with the words
"genetic testing", but this includes only 18% who are "very
familiar."
- An overwhelming eight-to-one majority believes that genetic testing –
when it is explained to them – is a good thing.
- Fully, 69% of all adults say they would be somewhat likely to ask for a
comprehensive genetic test that would indicate the likelihood that they
might get several major diseases if it were not at all expensive. And 39%
say they would be very likely to do so. The more familiar people are with
genetic testing, the more likely they are to say they would have it.
- When offered a free genetic test for a disease for which there is a
treatment or other ways to greatly reduce risks, 81% of all adults say
they would be likely to have it and 56% say they would be very likely to do
so.
- However, 49% say they would be likely to ask for such a test if there
was no known treatment or any other ways to reduce the risk of that disease.
Only 26% say that they would be very likely to do so.
It is perhaps surprising that these numbers are so large and that so many
people want to know about the likelihood of getting a disease, even when they
can do nothing to prevent or treat it.
- When the 81% of all adults who said they would be somewhat likely to ask
for a genetic test for a serious disease for which an effective treatment
exists were asked how much they would pay, the median response was
just over $300 (e.g. $314). However, a quarter of them (28%) said they didn’t
know how much they would be willing to pay, and 34% said they would be
willing to pay more than $400. Among people with household incomes of
$50,000 or more the median rises to over $450.
- Almost everyone (90%) says that they think their regular doctor should
have access to the results of their genetic tests. Most people (69%) think
that any doctor who is helping them to prevent such a disease should do so.
However only minorities think that their employers (17%), life insurance
companies (25%) or health insurance (39%) should have access to their genetic
test results.
So what? A word of caution on these results
Some of the worst mistakes made in marketing research have come from people
believing too literally the detailed answers given by the public as to what they
might do at some point in the future. It is almost always true that far fewer
people actually buy a product than say they would do so. We can be sure that
fewer people would actually take genetic tests if they were available over the
next few years than is indicated by this survey, and that fewer people would pay
as much as they say they would.
Nevertheless, the results of this survey are very dramatic and establish that
there is surely a real market for genetic testing if the costs of these tests
are not prohibitive. So the demand for these tests will depend heavily on the
extent to which the genetically inherited diseases can be treated or prevented.
Humphrey Taylor is the chairman of The Harris Poll®,
Harris Interactive.
TABLE 1
FAMILIARITY WITH GENETIC TESTING
"How familiar are you with the words "genetic
testing" and what they mean?"
Base: All adults
| |
Total |
| |
% |
|
Very familiar |
18 |
|
Somewhat familiar |
52 |
|
Not very familiar |
15 |
|
Not at all familiar |
14 |
|
Not sure/refused |
1 |
TABLE 2
IS GENETIC TESTING GOOD OR BAD?
""Genetic testing" involves testing someone’s
genes or DNA to see if they have inherited a high risk of getting one or more
diseases. This is likely to become much more common in the future. In general do
you think it is a good or a bad thing that we will be able to use genetic
testing to find out what diseases individual people are likely to get?"
Base: All adults
| |
TOTAL |
FAMILIARITY |
|
Very |
Somewhat |
Not Very/ Not At All |
| |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
Good thing |
81 |
81 |
83 |
81 |
|
Bad thing |
11 |
13 |
12 |
10 |
|
Not sure/refused |
8 |
7 |
5 |
9 |
TABLE 3
HOW LIKELY TO HAVE COMPREHENSIVE GENETIC TEST IF IT WERE
POSSIBLE AND INEXPENSIVE
"If you could have a comprehensive genetic test which
would tell you about the likelihood that you might get several major diseases,
and it was not at all expensive, how likely to do you think you would be to have
it – very likely, somewhat likely, or not very likely?"
Base: All adults
| |
Total |
FAMILIARITY |
|
Very |
Somewhat |
Not Very |
| |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
Very likely |
39 |
56 |
39 |
29 |
|
Somewhat likely |
30 |
22 |
30 |
36 |
|
Not very likely |
29 |
21 |
30 |
31 |
|
Not sure/refused |
2 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
TABLE 4
LIKELIHOOD OF HAVING FREE GENETIC TEST FOR SERIOUS DISEASE FOR
WHICH THERE IS, OR IS NOT, EFFECTIVE TREATEMENT
"Please consider two possible situations and say how
likely you would be to ask for a free genetic test for each one. Would you be
very likely, somewhat likely or not very likely to have it?
- A test which would tell you if you are at high risk of getting a very
serious disease and, if so, there are treatments or other ways to greatly
reduce your risk of getting it.
- A test which would tell you if you were at high risk of getting a very
serious disease, but where there is no known treatment or other ways to
reduce that risk."
Base: All adults
| |
(a) There are treatments |
(b) There are no treatments |
| |
% |
% |
|
Very likely |
56 |
26 |
|
Somewhat likely |
25 |
23 |
|
Not very likely |
17 |
49 |
|
Not sure/refused |
3 |
2 |
TABLE 5
HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY FOR GENETIC TEST FOR SERIOUS DISEASE
FOR WHICH THERE IS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT?
"If you had to pay yourself to get such a test for a very
serious disease for which there are treatments or other ways to greatly reduce
your risk, about how much do you think you would be willing to pay for this
test?"
Base: Somewhat or very likely to ask for test (81% of all adults) for
which a treatment exists
| |
Total |
HOUSEHOLD INCOME |
|
Less than $25,000 |
$25,000 - $49,999 |
$50,000 - $74,999 |
$75,000 or more |
| |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
Nothing |
5 |
8 |
5 |
5 |
* |
|
$1 - $25 |
4 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
5 |
|
$26 - $100 |
16 |
18 |
20 |
14 |
11 |
|
$101 - $400 |
14 |
15 |
13 |
16 |
15 |
|
More than $400 |
34 |
23 |
32 |
41 |
49 |
|
Not sure/refused |
28 |
29 |
29 |
21 |
19 |
|
MEDIAN |
$314 |
$184 |
$222 |
$459 |
$483 |
TABLE 6
WHO SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO SEE RESULTS OF YOUR GENETIC TESTS?
"If you were given a genetic test which showed how likely
you were to get one or more serious diseases, which of the following do you
think should be allowed to see this information?"
Base: All adults
| |
Total |
| |
% |
|
Your regular doctor |
90 |
|
Any doctor who is helping you to prevent a disease for which the test
shows you are at risk |
69 |
|
Your health insurance company which is paying the cost of this
treatment or care |
39 |
|
A life insurance company from which you want to obtain life insurance |
25 |
|
Your employer who is paying for part of your health insurance |
17 |
|
Not sure/refused |
5 |
Methodology
The Harris Poll® was conducted by telephone within the United
States between May 15th and 21st, 2002 among a nationwide
cross-section of 1,013 adults. Figures for age, sex, race, education, number of
adults and number of voice/telephone lines in the household were weighted where
necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population.
In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can
say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of
plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult
population had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are
several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are
probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They
include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and question
order, interviewer bias, weighting by demographic control data and screening
(e.g., for likely voters). It is impossible to quantify the errors that may
result from these factors.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National
Council on Public Polls.
_____________________________________
J16507A
Q505, Q510, Q515, Q520-521, Q525, Q530
COPYRIGHT 2002 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
ISSN 0895-7983 | 
