Fertility, Embryo Research and Genome Editing: Public Attitudes in Europe

The report Fertility, Embryo Research and Genome Editing: Public Attitudes in Europe, presents wide-ranging research exploring public attitudes to fertility treatment, embryo research, genome editing, donor conception, surrogacy and related topics in four European countries – the UK, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy.

This research was conducted by Ipsos, on behalf of PET and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), and the resulting report is published jointly by PET and ESHRE.

Ipsos surveyed samples of the public in the UK, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy in February 2026. Samples were representative of each population with quotas on age, gender, region and working status. Data was weighted to the known offline population proportions for age within gender, gender within working status, region, and education. There were 8688 responses, submitted by more than 2000 people aged 16-75 within each country.

Previously, PET commissioned Ipsos to carry out similar research within the UK only. That research was published in June 2022, in a PET report entitled Fertility, Genomics and Embryo Research: Public Attitudes and Understanding. Where very similar questions were asked in the 2022 and 2026 surveys, we have taken the opportunity – in our accompanying commentary – to compare corresponding sets of UK data, and explore whether or not views have changed.

Download the full 2026 report here.

If you have any queries about the report, or if you would like to collaborate with PET on follow-up work, please contact us.