2002 Vermonter Poll Press Release
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Thomas P. DeSisto
Center for Rural Studies
(802)-656-3021
tdesisto@zoo.uvm.edu
http://crs.uvm.edu/vtrpoll/2002/index.htm
Vermonters Report Overwhelming Support for Labeling of GMO Food Products
Burlington, VT –March 6, 2002-
Vermonters overwhelmingly support the labeling of food products based on whether or not they contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). A statewide poll concluded on March 1, 2002 found that 96% of Vermont registered voters believe that there should be labels on products stating whether that food item contains GMOs, while only 4% of the population believes that labels are not necessary.
Although Vermonters are aware and knowledgeable of the issue of GMOs, very few are aware of how widespread GMOs are in the food supply. The poll found that 92% of Vermont residents don’t have a good estimate of how widespread GMOs are. Half of all Vermont residents stated that they simply didn’t know what percent of processed foods contained GMOs. On average, those Vermonters who believed they knew how widespread GMOs were, estimated that only 34% of processed foods contain GMOs. According to current figures approximately 70 to 75% of processed foods contain GMOs.
Vermont residents are generally dissatisfied with the amount of information currently available on GMOs. 51% of Vermonters are dissatisfied with the amount of information on GMOs that is available to them, while only 26% are satisfied with the current amounts of information and 24% are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.
These findings were based on the 2002 Vermonter Poll conducted by the Center for Rural Studies at the University of Vermont. There were 734 respondents, all of whom were registered Vermont voters. The poll was conducted beginning on February 19, 2002 and ending on March 1, 2002. The results based on a group of this size have a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points with a confidence interval of 95 percent.
The Center for Rural Studies (CRS) is a nonprofit, fee-for-service research organization which addresses social, economic, and resource-based problems of rural people and
communities. Based in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Vermont (UVM), the Center provides consulting and research services in Vermont, the United States, and abroad. For more information on the Center for Rural Studies visit their Web site at http://crs.uvm.edu.
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Reviewed on
02/21/02
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