Survey of American Attitudes to Genetic RiskWith funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, political scientist Shana Gadarian and I designed the National Genetic Risk Survey Experiment (NGRISE) to examine Americans' attitudes toward genetic risk. Each respondent in a nationally representative sample (N = 2,100) was assigned a genetic risk (20%, 30% . . . 80%) for a disease (colon cancer, heart disease, or Alzheimer’s disease) and asked about many potential reactions. We find that people in the general population—regardless of health status or family history—responded to this hypothetical genetic risk by wanting to take action, and their reactions are stronger in domains related to self and family than to community and polity.
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Related Articles
Almeling and Gadarian 2014. “Reacting to Genetic Risk: An Experimental Survey of Life between Health and Disease.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior
Almeling and Gadarian 2014. “Public Opinion on Policy Issues in Genetics and Genomics.” Genetics in Medicine
Pinar, Almeling, and Gadarian. 2018. “Does Genetic Risk for Common Adult Diseases Influence Reproductive Plans? Evidence from a National Survey Experiment in the United States.” Social Science and Medicine
Almeling 2019. “Contesting New Markets for Bodily Knowledge: When and How Experts Draw the Line” in Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Body and Embodiment, edited by Natalie Boero and Katherine Mason.
Andersson, Gadarian, and Almeling 2017. “Does Educational Attainment Shape Reactions to Genetic Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease? Results from a National Survey Experiment.” Social Science and Medicine
Almeling and Gadarian 2014. “Reacting to Genetic Risk: An Experimental Survey of Life between Health and Disease.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior
Almeling and Gadarian 2014. “Public Opinion on Policy Issues in Genetics and Genomics.” Genetics in Medicine
Pinar, Almeling, and Gadarian. 2018. “Does Genetic Risk for Common Adult Diseases Influence Reproductive Plans? Evidence from a National Survey Experiment in the United States.” Social Science and Medicine
Almeling 2019. “Contesting New Markets for Bodily Knowledge: When and How Experts Draw the Line” in Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Body and Embodiment, edited by Natalie Boero and Katherine Mason.
Andersson, Gadarian, and Almeling 2017. “Does Educational Attainment Shape Reactions to Genetic Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease? Results from a National Survey Experiment.” Social Science and Medicine
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Survey of Women's Bodily Experiences of IVF
Women doing in vitro fertilization (IVF) to have a child describe it as painful and emotionally draining. Egg donors undergo the same medical regimen for a different reason – to produce eggs for another woman in exchange for thousands of dollars – and describe it as quick and relatively painless. Medical researchers typically compare bodily responses by variables such as gender, age, and health status. We use the case of “egg production” to propose a new factor that may be an important source of variation in bodily experience: an individual's reason for undergoing the medical intervention in the first place. Using cluster analysis to analyze an original survey of 50 IVF patients and 62 egg donors in New York City, we find two distinct kinds of bodily experiences – “less intense” and “more intense” – and the intensity of one's experience is associated with one's reason for producing eggs: either to become pregnant or to donate them for money.
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Related Articles and Essays
Almeling and Willey 2017. "Same Medicine, Different Reasons: Comparing Women's Bodily Experiences of Producing Eggs for Pregnancy or for Profit." Social Science and Medicine
Almeling 2015. “Reproduction.” Annual Review of Sociology
Almeling, Radin, and Richardson 2014. “Egg-freezing a better deal for companies than for women,” CNN.com
Almeling and Willey 2017. "Same Medicine, Different Reasons: Comparing Women's Bodily Experiences of Producing Eggs for Pregnancy or for Profit." Social Science and Medicine
Almeling 2015. “Reproduction.” Annual Review of Sociology
Almeling, Radin, and Richardson 2014. “Egg-freezing a better deal for companies than for women,” CNN.com