Table 1.

Summary of analysis of public dialogue reports.

Class	Illustrative statement	Ten most significant words	Documents associated
Class A1 (15.1%): Drugs – Cure or cause, treating medical or social problems?	‘I know that drugs like heroin need to be illegal because of the harm they cause – especially for vulnerable young people. But I suppose we could say the same about other recreational drugs like alcohol or nicotine, which can also be addictive. And while prescription drugs can help people with mental health problems, where do we draw the line with social problems? Should people be allowed to take drugs that help them do well in education, for instance?’	drug young recreational outreach user person Belfast illicit child parent	Drugsfutures (2006)
Class A2 (25.5%): ‘Reaching potential whilst minimising risk’	‘These technologies show a lot of promise to develop medical treatments in the future. But there are also risks (some unknown) and the private companies involved will be driven by the need to make a profit. We need to think about how we govern and regulate this tension’.	application area treatment biology potential science synthetic disease fund nanotechnology	BBSRC Synthetic Biology (2009) Stem Cell Dialogue (2007) ScienceHorizons Small Groups (2006)
Class A3: Precautionary in Principle	‘We need to know a lot more about these new technologies and to discuss them further before we can make decisions and policy about them. We need independent advice about whether they will work and what the costs and side effects will be’.	climate geoengineering change public event mitigation dialogue decision talk member	Geoengineering (2010) SciHorizons Deliberative Panel (2006) Big Energy Shift (2008) Nanodialogues (2005) Small Talk (2005) Forensic Use of DNA (2007)
Class A4 (17.6%): The slippery slope to challenging our way of life	‘These technologies might bring some economic benefits and cheap food, but I don’t think we have the right to do this to the natural world. In the long term, I’m worried about whether there are safe, their effects on the environment and where this will lead’.	industrial biotechnology gm food crop environment product consumer release fuel	Industrial Biotechnology (2006) GM Foods (2002) BBSRC Synthetic Biology (2009)
Class A5 (17.8%): Where do we draw the moral line when we mess with humans?	‘The things that scientists can do with these technologies is not natural and I am not sure we have the moral right to do this. I can see that they might help some people, but I think I can only accept it if it will help humans with life-threatening conditions’.	animal human material embryo research create hybrid egg agree welfare	Animals Containing Human Material (2010) Hybrids and Chimera (2006) Stem Cell Dialogue (2007)

BBSRC: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; GM: Genetically Modified.