Survey reveals how we think about being human

A survey of 7500 Australians on the issue of when an embryo is considered to be human has shown that most people do not believe a human is created at conception.

The International Social Science Survey/Australia, sponsored by the University of Melbourne's Melbourne Institute, revealed that people considered becoming a human was a process, making a clear answer on timing virtually impossible.

But the research, published in the latest Australian Social Monitor, indicated most people believe an embryo was "tentatively human" at two to three months and became progressively more so as development continued.

"Importantly, there is a lack of consensus on when the process of becoming human begins and when it is complete," said Dr Mariah Evans, one of the researchers.

"Instead, views on this are strongly differentiated by religious belief, denomination, education, gender and belief in Darwin's theory of evolution.

"These sincerely held and incompatible beliefs suggest that any resolution to this problem will involve conflict, compromise and coercion rather than negotiation and mutual agreement.

"In short, it will require politics, not ethics,"

The survey found that religious beliefs were the most important source of division, with strong Christian adherents more likely to think an embryo or foetus was a human at an early stage.

Belief in Darwin's theory of evolution contributed to the next most dramatic divide, with supporters less likely to see an early foetus as human.

When asked a series of questions concerning when an embryo or foetus is human at various stages of development, 19 per cent of respondents said "definitely yes", 17 per cent said "definitely no", with 64 per cent choosing a response between these two poles.

A separate survey asked people whether they endorsed the use of foetal tissue for basic and applied medical research into diseases like Parkinson's and cancer.

The majority of respondents either "strongly approved" or "approved", with 14 per cent "disapproving" or "strongly disapproving", and a further 14 per cent expressing mixed feelings.

The divide between groups was similar to the first survey in terms of adherence to Christianity or Darwinism.

"This suggests that for many people the 'human-ness' of early embryos is a matter of degree rather than a yes or no issue," Evans said.