Table 2 Main findings of quantitative studies on the factors influencing the public views of forensic DNA testing in the criminal field (n = 11)

Level of education

• More educated: less likely to agree that forensic DNA database can influence in developing swifter and more accurate justice [55]

• More educated: stronger confidence in the impact of a DNA database in crime fighting [47]

• More educated: more likely to support DNA databases for convicted violent offenders [50]

• More educated: more likely to not accept a universal database covering all Swiss residents [56]

• More educated: increase awareness of the use of DNA profiling in the identification of persons [52]

• More educated: less willing to donate [11]

• More educated: higher unwilling to donate [56]

• More educated: less support for Local and State Security Agencies as custodians of the databases [52]

Age

• Older: increased concerns over the risk of possible uses of the genetic material for purposes other than criminal investigation [55]

• Youngest: more likely to select stigmatization and discrimination as risks, while devaluing lack of security and control [55]

• Older: more optimistic about the importance of a forensic DNA repository [47]

• Older: more likely to know that the National DNA database exist [56]

• Older: less willing to donate [11]

• Oldest (> 65) and youngest (15–24 years): more support for Local and State Security Agencies [52]

• Older: more favored entrusting the national DNA database to an independent entity [47]

Occupation

• Staff of prosecutor’s offices (vs. general public and prisoners): placed significantly more value on DNA database as a crime-fighting tool; agreed more that a DNA database would not intrude on individuals’ privacy [47]

• Legal professionals (vs. health and local/national security professionals): less support for a Spanish DNA databank for all citizens without their consent; specific groups of non-consenting individuals who repeat the same offense, of whatever the nature or gravity; recidivist offenders found guilty of committing crimes against the lives, integrity, and safety of citizens [51]

• Staff of prosecutor’s offices (vs. general public): preferred indefinite storing of convicted offenders’ DNA profiles [47]

• Work in the field of police, law, and forensics: more frequently knew about the existence of the Swiss DNA database [56]

• Law students (vs. students of medicine or professional nursing): less willing to donate to a research biobank [57]

Gender

• Women: more likely to accept a universal database [56]

• Women: more willing to donate [56]- Women: more willing to donate to a research biobank [57]

• Women: more likely to support police access to genetic genealogy databases [43]

Ethnicity/race

• European descents: more likely to strongly agree that the use of DNA is a great step forward [53]

• European descents (vs. Mãori and Pacific): exhibit greater trust and less concerns about ethical and privacy issues (completely trust the owners of the DNA database, would be happy to give a sample if requested by the police, have no concerns about the use of DNA for another purpose or ethical issues around DNA use or eventual occurrence of mistakes) [54]

• Whites (vs. Blacks): more likely to strongly support DNA databases for convicted violent offenders [50]European descents: more likely to be interested in having DNA stored, in particular the DNA of offenders convicted of violent crime [53]

• European descents: more likely to cite newspapers as source of information [53]

• European descents (vs. Mãori and Pacific): more likely to identify the sources from which forensic DNA samples are taken, know that DNA is stored, have gained knowledge from newspapers [57]

• Pacific people were less likely to hear about DNA use [54]

Political orientation

• Conservative (republican-like) voters (vs. liberal): more likely to completely trust that a sample taken would be used appropriately, agree that the use of DNA is a great step forward, have no concerns about the use of DNA for another purpose or cultural issues around DNA use [54]

Attitude towards crime control

• Willingness to resort to any means necessary to curb crime and support for capital punishment: best predictors of support for DNA databases for convicted violent offenders [50]

Being a prisoner

• Prisoners (vs. general public and prosecutor’s office staff) favored profiles of the entire population or no one is included in the national register, storing DNA profiles of individuals convicted for/suspected of having committed serious crimes only, DNA profile being expunged at the end of the prison sentence [47]