A Canadian national survey on the public perception of biological control

A professionally designed telephone survey was conducted, for the first time in any country, to determine the perception of Canadians to the use of biocontrol as a means of pest management. While only 55% of those contacted considered themselves well versed in biological control, over 80% were interested in the environment and nutrition. Women expressed more concern about food safety than men, while people less than 24 and more than 65 years old were the less concerned. The test group clearly believed that foods produced organically or using biocontrol were safer than those using synthetic insecticides. The survey clearly shows that while biological control is preferred over pesticides, there is still a need to educate the general public on biological pest management. It would be of interest to have similar surveys carried out in both developed and developing countries, and also to see whether biocontrol is seen in a more positive light in developed countries where genetically modified plants are not as widely used as in Canada.