Summary : As new biotechnologies are becoming available, what does the public think of them, and their benefits and costs? In a democratic society, it is incumbent upon legislators and regulators to take into account the views of the populace on these matters. Genetic engineering is a particularly important area in which to assess public opinion, because it is a very new technology so that very few political choices about its uses and control have been made, let alone institutionalized. Systematically designed questionnaire data collected from large, nationwide representative samples are the only reliable method available for assessing public attitudes and social difference therein. The 1994 International Social Science Survey/Australia included a module on attitudes towards genetic engineering. The module began by asking people to rate a series of goals for Australian scientists, to get a general assessment of the desirability of different goals. We then introduced the concept of genetic engineering, and asked respondents to rate the desirability of a set of specific potential uses of genetic engineering. We also asked about the desirability of labeling genetically engineered products; about how much people worry about some potential risks of genetic engineering; about their personal preferences; whether they expect that they themselves would use genetically engineered products; and asked for a global evaluation of whether the benefits of genetic engineering are likely to outweigh the risks. We also asked people about their understanding of genetic engineering and of science and technology generally.