Designer babies are a hot topic these days, and it’s easy to see why. In today’s world, we’re bombarded with images of celebrities and models that are so perfect they look like they’ve been photoshopped. We want our kids to be just as beautiful—and we want them NOW!
But before you get too excited about the possibilities, let’s take a look at some designer baby statistics so you can understand what this all means for your future family. These latest statistics and facts about designer babies are guaranteed to shock, amaze, and inspire you. You never know what you might find out next…
If you missed the hype—and who can blame you?—here’s a quick reminder of what designer babies are: they’re babies who’ve been genetically modified to have specific traits that parents want for their children. The most common traits include intelligence, physical appearance (such as eye color), and even personality traits like shyness or extroversion.
So let’s get started!
General Designer Babies Statistics
1. 50% of Americans say they are somewhat or very familiar with current debates around genetic testing.
Among the rest, nearly equal portions either haven’t heard much or haven’t heard anything (24% and 26%, respectively). An additional 57% of US adults trust these tests to be mainly precise and dependable, while the rest are unsure (19%) or believe they are unreliable (24%).
(Harvard School of Public Health)
2. 65% of US adults are against baby gene modification if it involves embryonic testing.
The majority of Americans are against the development of gene alteration if it requires testing on human embryos. On the other side of the spectrum, 33% find it a suitable application of medical technology.
(Pew Research Center)
3. 83% of Americans think that gene alteration of unborn babies for enhancing their intelligence or physical features should be against the law.
An additional 65% share the same opinion on modifying the genes of unborn babies for lowering their chances of developing serious diseases/conditions. However, 44% agree that scientific research on baby gene modification for the same reason should be funded by the federal government.
Only 14% of Americans think scientific research on baby gene alteration for the improvement of characteristics like intelligence or physical traits should be funded by the federal government.
(Harvard School of Public Health)
4. 72% of US adults are approving of changing babies’ genes for treating serious diseases/conditions they would otherwise be born with.
The above marks the most-dominant reason why Americans think baby gene modification is a suitable application of medical technology. On the other hand, 27% of them agree that changing babies’ genetic characteristics for the same reason is taking medical technology too far.
(Pew Research Center)
5. 60% of Americans find it acceptable to edit a baby’s genes to reduce the risk of a serious disease that could occur over their lifetime.
While the above is the second-most-justifiable use case of changing babies’ genetic characteristics as appropriate use of medical technology, further 38% of US adults consider it as abuse of medical technology.
(Pew Research Center)
6. 80% of US adults are disapproving of modifying a baby’s genes to make them more intelligent.
Mostly agreed upon as taking medical technology too far, making a baby more intelligent seems to be the least legitimate reason for changing babies’ genetic characteristics.
In fact, only 19% of Americans agree that changing a baby’s genes in order to make them more intelligent is a suitable application of medical technology.
(Pew Research Center)
7. 53% of US adults think that physicians, scientists, and other technologists are the ones who should decide whether or not to allow baby gene alteration.
Only 9% say that should be handled by government officials and policymakers; around 16% and 6% of which identify as Democrats and Republicans, respectively.
31% of US adults say that the decision of whether or not baby gene modification should be allowed should be left to someone else.
(Harvard School of Public Health)
8. The majority of Americans agree that gene modification’s widespread adoption is very likely to cause negative effects.
58% of US adults agree that an increase in inequality is very likely due to gene modification being only available to the wealthy. Another 54% think that—even if gene alteration is used appropriately by some—it is very likely that it will be used in ethically unacceptable ways by others. 46% of Americans are afraid that the widespread use of gene modification before we fully understand its effects on health is very likely.
On the other side of the spectrum, 48% of US adults think that gene alteration is fairly likely to aid people with living better-quality and longer lives, while another 42% agree it’s fairly likely that gene modification will facilitate the development of new medical findings that society can benefit from.
(Pew Research Center)
9. The majority (45%) of US adults think that researchers in the field of medicine don’t recognize the health benefits and threats of changing babies’ genetic characteristics too well.
Only 7% of US adults think that researchers in the field of medicine understand the health benefits and threats of modifying babies’ genes very well, while 17% think they don’t understand it at all.
Another 29% of US adults think that researchers in the field of medicine have a fairly well understanding of the health benefits and threats of altering babies’ genes.
(Pew Research Center)
10. Only 6% of adults in the United States say they have undergone genetic testing.
At 35%, concerns about health problems for future children rank as the dominant reason for undergoing such tests, followed by the curiosity to find out more about family history or heritage at 25%. Worries regarding health issues they might develop in the future and other reasons rank third, at 18% each.
81% of US adults that have undergone genetic testing recognize the results as useful to them.
(Harvard School of Public Health)
11. 59% of adults in the United States agree that gene therapy treatments should be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
A further 64% say that scientific studies on introducing new and improving existing treatments involving gene therapy should be funded by the federal government, with 59% of Republicans and 74% of Democrats sharing the same opinion on the topic.
(Harvard School of Public Health)
Demographics and Science-Knowledge as Factors That Shape the Public Views of Gene Editing
12. When compared to women, men are more accepting of changing babies’ genetic characteristics.
When it comes to the reasons why they find baby gene modification to be a suitable application of medical technology, 76% of men are approving of gene modification for treating serious diseases/conditions babies would be born with. The respective figure among women stands at 68%.
65% of men and 54% of women are accepting of gene alteration for reducing the risk of serious diseases/conditions babies would develop during their lifetime.
Only 24% and 13% of men and women, respectively, agree that gene modification to make babies more intelligent is a suitable application of medical technology.
Finally, 24% of men compared to 24% of women are approving of baby gene alteration that requires testing on human embryos.
(Pew Research Center)
13. As opposed to men, women expect more negative effects from the widespread use of gene modification.
Compared to 52% of men who share the same opinion, 63% of women expect an increase in inequality due to gene alteration being available only to the wealthy.
Another 57% of women believe that—even if used appropriately by some—others will use gene modification in morally unacceptable ways, which compares to 51% of men with the same attitude.
In comparison to 42% of men, 49% of women are afraid that gene alteration will be used before we fully understand its effects on health.
When it comes to the potentially positive effects of gene modification, only 14% of women believe will facilitate the development of new medical findings that society can benefit from, which compares to 23% of men.
Additionally, a mere 13% of women think gene alteration will aid people with living better-quality and longer lives, compared to 19% of men who share the same view.
(Pew Research Center)
14. At 71%, Hispanic US adults are least approving of baby gene modification that involves human embryo testing.
When observing the views of gene alteration by race, black US adults follow at 68% while white Americans rank last with 64% of them agreeing that gene modification that requires testing on human embryos is an abuse of medical technology.
(Pew Research Center)
15. US adults that are highly knowledgeable in science are more likely to see gene-modification techniques as appropriate.
Namely, 86% of them are approving of gene alteration for the sake of treating serious diseases/conditions babies would be born with. 71% have a positive attitude towards gene modification for the sake of reducing the risk of serious diseases/conditions babies would develop during their lifetimes.
These figures drastically drop to 24% when it comes to justifying gene modification to make babies more intelligent, even though 50% of US adults with high science knowledge agree that gene alteration requiring embryo testing is a suitable application of medical technology.
(Pew Research Center)
16. US adults with low science knowledge are less accepting of gene-editing techniques.
When it comes to different indications for baby gene modification, 58% of Americans with low science knowledge are approving of gene alteration for the sake of treating serious diseases/conditions babies would be born with.
49% have a positive attitude towards gene modification for the sake of reducing the risk of serious diseases/conditions babies would develop during their lifetimes.
These figures drastically drop to 21% when it comes to justifying gene modification to make babies more intelligent, while 26% of US adults with low science knowledge agree that gene alteration requiring embryo testing is a suitable application of medical technology.
(Pew Research Center)
17. Americans that are familiar with gene alteration are more prone to be approving of different use cases for it.
Of those who are very familiar with gene alteration, 71% find it appropriate for treating serious diseases/conditions babies would be born with, while 65% have the same attitude towards using baby gene modification for the sake of reducing the risk of serious diseases/conditions babies would develop during their lifetimes.
31% of US adults who are very familiar with gene modification justify its use to make babies more intelligent, while 50% have a positive attitude towards it even if it requires testing on human embryos.
(Pew Research Center)
18. 56% of US adults say they would be willing to undergo genetic testing to find out the likelihood of them developing certain diseases/conditions in the future.
The above comes as no surprise, considering 19% or someone in their immediate family report being told they had a gene exposing them to the threat of serious diseases.
62% of adults aged between 30 and 64 are most likely to be willing to undergo genetic testing for Alzheimer’s disease. The corresponding figures for those aged 18-29 and over 65 stand at 50% and 47%, respectively.
Another 63% of adults aged between 30 and 64 are likely to be willing to undergo genetic testing for cancer. Among those aged 18-29 and 65+, the corresponding figures stand at 48% and 47%, respectively.
(Harvard School of Public Health)
Religion and the Public Views on Designer Babies
19. Americans with low levels of religious commitment are most accepting of changing babies’ genes to treat serious diseases/conditions they would otherwise be born with.
In other words, 82% of them agree that baby gene modification for the above reason is a suitable application of medical technology.
When it comes to US adults with medium levels of religious commitment, 72% justify modifying babies’ genetic properties to treat serious diseases/conditions they would otherwise be born with.
Among highly-religious US adults, 57% agree that changing a baby’s genes to treat a serious disease or condition they would otherwise be born with is a suitable application of medical technology, making this the most-acceptable reason for baby gene alteration across all groups distributed by levels of religious commitment.
(Pew Research Center)
20. Highly-religious US adults are least approving of gene modification to make babies more intelligent.
93% of them agree that changing a baby’s genes for the above reason is taking medical technology too far.
This figure is closely followed by the one relating to Americans with medium levels of religious commitment, 82% of which disapprove of modifying a baby’s genetic code to make them more intelligent.
Among US adults with low levels of religious commitment, on the other hand, 72% agree that changing a baby’s genes to make them more intelligent is taking medical technology too far, making this the least-acceptable reason for baby gene alteration across all groups distributed by levels of religious commitment.
(Pew Research Center)
21. 87% of highly-religious Americans disapprove of gene modification if it involves testing on human embryos.
US adults ranking medium on the religious commitment index follow next with 69% portion of them who say that gene alteration development that relies on human embryo testing is taking medical technology too far.
The corresponding figure among Americans with low levels of religious commitment stands at 44%, making them most accepting of baby gene modification even if it involves testing on human embryos.
(Pew Research Center)
22. At 78%, Protestants are least accepting of gene alteration if it involves embryonic testing.
Within this religious affiliation group, 88% of white evangelical Protestants, 72% of black Protestants, and 67% of white mainline Protestants say baby gene modification that requires testing on human embryos is taking medical technology too far.
At 69%, Catholics rank second as a religious affiliation group disapproving of gene alteration involving testing on human embryos. Among them, 73% of Hispanics and 70% of white Catholics share the same view.
(Pew Research Center)
23. At 52%, the religiously unaffiliated are most approving of baby gene modification involving embryonic testing.
Among them, atheists are most approving of the matter with 79% of them saying that gene alteration that requires testing on human embryos is a suitable application of medical technology. Agnostics follow at 57%, while the corresponding figure for those who describe their religion as nothing, in particular, stands at 42%.
(Pew Research Center)
Public Views on Designer Babies Around the World
24. On average, 30% of adults worldwide agree that scientific research on gene modification is appropriate.
When observing public views by country, France and India seem to be the least and most approving of gene alteration, with respective 16% and 56% of adults there finding it appropriate.
(Pew Research Center)
25. 70% of the adult population worldwide support gene modification for treating serious diseases/conditions babies would otherwise be born with.
Japan is the least supportive country in this regard with 57% of adults there sharing the above attitude, while Spain is on the other side of the spectrum with 88% of its adult population supporting gene alteration for treating serious diseases/conditions babies would otherwise be born with.
(Pew Research Center)
26. 60% of adults worldwide support gene modification for reducing the risk of serious diseases/conditions that could occur within babies’ lifetimes.
Japan is the least supportive country in this regard, as well, with 47% of its adult population sharing the above attitude, while Spain is again on the other side of the spectrum with 77% of adults there supporting gene alteration for treating serious diseases/conditions babies would otherwise be born with.
(Pew Research Center)
27. Only 14% of the adult population worldwide support gene modification to make babies more intelligent.
With 8% of adults in Japan sharing this attitude, this is the least supportive country in this regard. On the other hand, India seems to be the most accepting of gene alteration to make babies more intelligent, with a staggering 64% of its adult population supporting it; a figure that’s 357% higher than the global average.
(Pew Research Center)
Conclusion
We know that there are a lot of statistics about designer babies out there, so we wanted to compile all of the research in one place. We hope you enjoyed learning about the growing trend of designer babies and how it will affect us as a society.
Here are some final thoughts:
- Designer Babies are still considered controversial by many.
- However, there is a growing demand for Designer Babies all over the world.
- Designer Babies are not just about looks; they can also be genetically enhanced with traits like intelligence, athleticism, and musical ability.
- It’s possible that Designer Babies will replace natural babies in the future—but this is unlikely.
- The average cost of getting a designer baby is $50K.
We hope you found this article helpful. If so, please share it with your friends and family on social media.
Thanks for reading, and have a great day!
399 Baby Blog Name Ideas (Catchy And Unique)
321 Totally Unique Babysitting Business Name Ideas
130+ Catchy Babysitting Slogans and Taglines