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UF News University of Florida

Floridians Say U.S. Should Invest More Money In Medical Research

June 12, 1996

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Most Florida residents think the nation should invest more money in medical research, and many are even willing to pay more for it themselves, according to a statewide survey.

In the first comprehensive opinion poll concerning Floridians’ attitudes toward medical research, two out of every three respondents ranked medical research as high as Social Security and higher than national defense in the value it offers as a federally funded program.

The survey indicates most Floridians believe both the state and nation should be leaders in biomedical research, and say federal government, private business and individuals all should invest considerably more money for medical investigations.

Research!America, a national research advocacy alliance that commissioned the survey, announced the poll results Wednesday morning (June 12) at a briefing for the Florida congressional delegation in Washington. The findings are scheduled for discussion soon at a joint hearing of the U.S. Senate committees on Appropriations and Aging.

The poll of 1,000 Florida residents was conducted last February by Charlton Research Company of San Francisco. Florida’s three academic medical centers — at the universities of Florida (in Gainesville) Miami, and South Florida (in Tampa) — funded the survey.

Nearly six of every 10 respondents said they are willing to pay $1 per week more in taxes to aid biomedical investigations. A majority also said they are willing to spend $1 more for prescription drugs and $1 more per week in insurance premiums, if assured the money would fund additional medical research.

Among other survey highlights:

  • Two-thirds of respondents said they would sign a petition to place an initiative on the ballot to increase taxes on cigarettes in order to provide more funds for medical research;
  • AIDS and cancer topped people’s list of the greatest health problems facing the nation;
  • More than two-thirds agreed the use of animals in medical research is necessary for progress in medicine.

The survey findings send a message to Florida politicians: nearly two-thirds of the respondents said they would more likely vote for a congressional or presidential candidate who is a strong supporter of federal spending for medical research.

At the moment, about three cents out of each health-care dollar spent in the United States goes for medical research, according to Research!America statistics. A majority of those polled said that amount should at least double.

Eighty-five percent of respondents indicated they approve of the federal government spending to sponsor scientific research at universities, and 56 percent think federal funding of scientific research at universities should increase.

Surveys conducted recently in California and Texas yielded similar results, according to Research!America officials.

Jim Heekin, chairman of the Florida Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s public universities, said lawmakers and voters alike should be aware of the grassroots support for medical research. He emphasized that research at Florida’s university medical centers serves the health interests of all Florida residents.

“I hope our elected representatives have their finger on the pulse of the citizens in their respective states and take cognizance of these survey findings,” Heekin said. “Americans are accustomed to improvements in the quality of life that result from significant advances in medical research. I think the survey indicates the continuing faith Florida citizens have in the benefits derived from expenditures for medical research.”

Florida’s three academic health centers boast several research programs of national repute.

The state has two of the nation’s leading brain and spinal cord research centers — at the University of Miami and the University of Florida (UF) — where scientists are zeroing in on ways to potentially restore limb function in people left paralyzed from severe spinal cord injury.

UF, Miami and USF researchers all are key players in nationwide clinical trials of experimental therapies designed to prevent or delay the onset of insulin-dependent diabetes.

USF researchers also are testing ways to manipulate genes controlling the body’s immune system to treat a variety of adult and childhood diseases.

Between them, the three universities also are noted for major research programs in AIDS, aging-related problems including Alzheimer’s, children’s illnesses, genetics and gene therapy, organ transplantation, cancer, heart disease and substance abuse.

Florida’s university researchers hope the survey results translate into action garnering more support for medical investigations in the state.

“Florida is an important state in which to do research,” said Dr. Margaret A. Fischl, director of the University of Miami Comprehensive AIDS program. “Not only does its population mirror that of the United States, but Florida’s diversity provides an essential laboratory for health problems that the nation as a whole faces now and in the future.”