Our article, Bioethicists Today: Results of the Views in Bioethics Survey (VIBeS), is now out in AJOB!
We surveyed 824 US bioethicists on:
(1) Major issues in bioethics, like medical aid in dying, paying organ donors, abortion, and many others
(2) Their backgrounds
🧵
We surveyed 824 US bioethicists on:
(1) Major issues in bioethics, like medical aid in dying, paying organ donors, abortion, and many others
(2) Their backgrounds
🧵
We aimed to contact everyone who presented at @AmerSocBioHum in 2021 or 2022 and/or is affiliated with a US bioethics training program.
Of the 1,713 people we contacted, 824 (48%) completed our survey.
Some highlights:
Of the 1,713 people we contacted, 824 (48%) completed our survey.
Some highlights:
In our sample, about half of bioethicists are women. Most (63%) have a PhD, 1/4 are clinicians, and 1/8 are lawyers.
Most US bioethicists are white (80%) and liberal (87%). They are less religious and hail from more educated backgrounds than members of the US population.
Most US bioethicists are white (80%) and liberal (87%). They are less religious and hail from more educated backgrounds than members of the US population.
There's consensus on certain issues:
For instance, most bioethicists think it's ethically permissible to:
- Select embryos based on medical traits, but not based on non-medical traits
- Pay blood donors, but not organ donors
(See figure)
For instance, most bioethicists think it's ethically permissible to:
- Select embryos based on medical traits, but not based on non-medical traits
- Pay blood donors, but not organ donors
(See figure)
Bioethicists' demographics and backgrounds predict their views:
For instance, while 87% of bioethicists believe abortion is ethically permissible, women bioethicists are more likely than men to think so (93 vs. 80%). Views on embryo selection also differ across genders:
For instance, while 87% of bioethicists believe abortion is ethically permissible, women bioethicists are more likely than men to think so (93 vs. 80%). Views on embryo selection also differ across genders:
Bioethicists' normative commitments also predict their views:
For instance, consequentialist bioethicists are more likely to believe that medical aid in dying is morally permissible (82% of consequentialists vs. 57% of deontologists and 38% of virtue ethicists).
For instance, consequentialist bioethicists are more likely to believe that medical aid in dying is morally permissible (82% of consequentialists vs. 57% of deontologists and 38% of virtue ethicists).
Bioethicists' views on bioethical issues align with those of the US public to varying degrees:
- US residents seem more likely to support paying organ donors than US bioethicists
- Most US residents, doctors, and bioethicists support medical aid in dying in at least some cases
- US residents seem more likely to support paying organ donors than US bioethicists
- Most US residents, doctors, and bioethicists support medical aid in dying in at least some cases
There are many more results in the paper, so check it out!
(Feel free to email/DM me if you can't access it.)
And a huge shout out to the whole VIBES team: @sophiehgibert, Leila Orszag, @_Haley_Sullivan, Rachel Fei, @GovindPersad, and @emily_a_largent.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…
(Feel free to email/DM me if you can't access it.)
And a huge shout out to the whole VIBES team: @sophiehgibert, Leila Orszag, @_Haley_Sullivan, Rachel Fei, @GovindPersad, and @emily_a_largent.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…
PS:
(1) AJOB will solicit peer commentaries on this article soon—please consider writing one!
(2) If you want to administer this survey to another group (eg, doctors, EAs), please reach out.
(3) Stay tuned for our future research ethics results!
(1) AJOB will solicit peer commentaries on this article soon—please consider writing one!
(2) If you want to administer this survey to another group (eg, doctors, EAs), please reach out.
(3) Stay tuned for our future research ethics results!
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