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New Survey Shows Public Perception of Opportunity to Participate in Clinical Trials Has Decreased Slightly From Last Year
Fewer adults participate or plan to participate in trials for financial benefits and many of those who have ever participated rely on the advice of their regular physician
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – June 27, 2005 – This issue of Harris Interactive Healthcare News focuses on public perceptions of clinical research studies. The results shown here are from a Harris Interactive? survey conducted online from April 19 to 26, 2005 among a cross section of 2,261 U.S. adults aged 18 and over.
Opportunity and Participation in Clinical Research Studies
Today, one in ten (10%) adults indicate they have participated in a clinical trial, virtually unchanged since 2001(8% in 2001, 10% in 2003, 11% in 2004).
After a slight increase in the percentages of adults who say they have had the opportunity to participate in clinical trials from 2001 to 2004, opportunity to participate has fallen off slightly as 15 percent of adults today report having had the opportunity to participate in a clinical research study (compared to 19% in 2004). While the change here is very small, and could be the result of sampling or measurement error, it may also be the beginning of a new trend and leveling out of perceived opportunities for participation in clinical studies.
Table 1 PARTICIPATED/HAD OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN CLINICAL RESEARCH STUDY
Base: All Adults
| ? | 20011
| 20032
| 20043*
| 2005*
| | ? | %
| %
| %
| %
| Those who ever had the opportunity to participate in a clinical research study
| 13
| 16
| 19
| 15
| Those who ever participated in a clinical research study
| 8
| 10
| 11
| 10
|
?The survey used the words "clinical research study" rather than "clinical trial" because the word "trial" has sometimes inhibited participation.
1 2001 data is from the "Will & Why Survey" conducted online in June 2001 by Harris Interactive among a nationwide sample of 5,348 U.S. adults aged 18 and over.
2 2003 data is from Harris Interactive Healthcare News, Volume 3, Issue 10, June 16, 2003.
3 2004 data is from Harris Interactive Healthcare News, Volume 4, Issue 10, June 11, 2004.
Reasons for Participation Those who have participated in clinical trials indicate a range of reasons for their participation. While these vary slightly in magnitude from year to year, the top response has continued to remain the same since 2001 – about half (51%) indicate that they participate in clinical studies to advance medicine and science.
The overall order of the reasons has retained a similar pattern; however, in 2005 there are some notable changes. There is an increase in those who indicated their doctor recommended the study as a reason they decided to participate in a clinical research study (31% now compared to 21% in 2004). Additionally there are several key decreases in both the financial benefits and education and media coverage areas:
More than one-third (36%) of adults who participated in clinical trials said they did so to earn extra money, down from 50 percent in 2004.
One in five (19%) participated to obtain free medication, down from 27 percent in 2004.
Thirty percent (30%) participated to obtain education about treatment/improving their health, a decrease of nine percentage points from 2004 (39%).
One-quarter (25%) indicated they participated in clinical studies because the information they read, saw or had heard about the study influenced them, down from 41 percent in 2004.
The Conclusions Drawn from the Study were as follows: Overall public opinion in relation to clinical research studies appears similar to last year. However, there are a few very notable differences. There is a slight reduction in the number of adults who have had the opportunity to participate in clinical research studies. The allure of financial benefits appears to be less of a draw to both those who have participated in the past and those who are considering it in the future. For those who have participated in clinical research studies, the involvement of their physician appears to be important. Public perceptions of clinical research studies remain similar to past years and the public is still gathering most of their information from the media. The public appears skeptical to the initial introduction of online clinical trial registries for themselves, but they are open to the information sharing they could provide.
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States between April 19 and 26, 2005 among a nationwide cross section of 2,261 adults (aged 18 and over). Data were weighted for age, education, income, gender, race/ethnicity and region where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results from the total sample have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. Sampling error for the sub-samples of those who have participated in a clinical research study (261), those who would consider participating in a clinical research study (1,525), and those willing to participate in a clinical research study with an unfamiliar physician or those who are not sure (2,118) is higher and varies. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (nonresponse), question wording and question order, and weighting. It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. These online samples were not probability samples.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
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Press Contacts: Nancy Wong
Harris Interactive
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Kelly Gullo
Harris Interactive
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