There is sometimes an inherent assumption that the logical head will overrule the emotional heart in matters of science and technology. However, literature on decision-making under risk and uncertainty suggests that emotional responses may be more potent. A representative sample of Australians participated in a large, national, online survey (n = 8,037) in which we measured the influence of knowledge and emotion in predicting support for possible synthetic biology (synbio) solutions to conservation, environmental, and industrial problems. A hierarchical regression model was used to examine the relative influence of affect- and emotion-related factors beyond the influence of knowledge factors in predicting support for synbio solutions. Subsequently interaction analyses were conducted to examine the potentially moderating role of emotions in the knowledge-support relationship. There was 64% variance in overall support for synbio solutions (R2 = 0.64, p < 0.001). The most influential predictor of support in the model was positive emotion. Feeling hopeful, excited, and curious toward a synbio technology was related to greater overall support for the development of that technology. The second-strongest set of predictors was affect-related measures that evaluate the technology as bad or good, harmful or beneficial, and risky or safe. Positive emotion and an assessment that the technology was good significantly moderated the effect of knowledge on support. These findings suggest that, at least initially, people are more likely to be guided by their emotions when considering support for synbio technologies, which has implications for how researchers design and implement engagement and communication strategies more broadly. Article impact statement: Emotions influence and moderate support for synthetic biology which has implications for technology design, implementation and communication. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

中文翻译：

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知识和情感对支持新型合成生物学应用的影响

有时有一种固有的假设，即在科学和技术问题上，逻辑头脑会凌驾于情感心脏之上。然而，关于风险和不确定性下的决策的文献表明，情绪反应可能更有效。澳大利亚人的代表性样本参加了一项大型的全国在线调查 (n = 8,037)，其中我们测量了知识和情感在预测对保护、环境和工业问题可能的合成生物学 (synbio) 解决方案的支持方面的影响。使用层次回归模型来检查在预测对合成生物解决方案的支持方面，除了知识因素的影响之外，与情感和情绪相关的因素的相对影响。随后进行交互分析以检查情绪在知识支持关系中的潜在调节作用。对 Synbio 解决方案的总体支持存在 64% 的差异（R2 = 0.64，p < 0.001）。模型中最有影响力的支持预测因子是积极情绪。对合成生物技术感到充满希望、兴奋和好奇与对该技术开发的更大整体支持有关。第二强的一组预测因素是与影响相关的措施，用于评估技术的好坏、有害或有益、风险或安全。积极情绪和对技术良好的评估显着减轻了知识对支持的影响。这些发现表明，至少在最初，在考虑支持合成生物技术时，人们更有可能受到情绪的引导，这对研究人员如何更广泛地设计和实施参与和沟通策略具有影响。文章影响声明：情绪影响和适度支持合成生物学，对技术设计、实施和交流有影响。本文受版权保护。版权所有。