Americans are closely divided over whether genetically modified foods are worse for one’s health than foods that are not genetically modified, according to a new Pew Research Center report.

About half of U.S. adults (49%) say foods containing genetically modified (GM) ingredients are worse for one’s health than foods containing no GM ingredients, while a slightly smaller share (44%) thinks foods with GM ingredients are neither better nor worse for one’s health ….

The survey finds a 10-percentage-point increase in the share of adults who say foods with GM ingredients are worse for one’s health from a 2016 Pew Research Center survey, when the share was 39%. The uptick in concern has come primarily among those with low levels of science knowledge; there has been no shift in this belief among those with high levels of science knowledge (based on a nine-item index of factual knowledge across a range of topics).

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Roughly three-in-ten Americans (31%) say it’s very likely that GM foods will increase the food supply and 25% say it’s very likely these foods will result in more affordably priced food. About four-in-ten or more consider each of these possibilities “fairly likely.”

At the same time, about a quarter of U.S. adults (24%) say GM foods are very likely to lead to problems for public health, while 21% say it’s very likely that these foods will create problems for the environment.

Read full, original article: Americans are narrowly divided over health effects of genetically modified foods