Science 'does more good than harm' - survey

A new EU-wide survey shows that while most Irish young people are broadly in favour of science and new technology, they are cautious about possible health risks.

The majority of 15-25 year olds are confident that science brings more benefits than harm. Eighty-eight percent think that science and technology make our lives healthier, easier and more comfortable and 61% think that it will help to eliminate poverty and hunger around the world.

At the same time, 86% think that there's a health risk involved in living near a nuclear power plant and more than half think that GM foods pose a health risk. Four out of 10 think that using a mobile phone might be dangerous for their health while almost a fifth (18%) think there's no risk at all.

Of all European 15-25 year olds, the Finns are the least concerned about any possible risks linked to mobiles – only 13% think there's any risk and 43% think there's no risk at all.

The survey also revealed that nearly six out of 10 Irish young people feel that living near high tension power lines might be dangerous. This is more or less in line with the EU average (54%) although there's some divergence of opinion between different EU countries – only 21% of Finnish respondents but 86% of Portuguese see living near power lines as a possible health risk.

The Eurobarometer survey which measures young people's attitudes to science and technology was conducted during September on behalf of the European Commission. Almost 25,000 15-25 year olds across the 27 EU countries took part.