New BIO/Morning Consult survey shows strong support for biotech innovation and its role in addressing critical global challenges.The majority of U.S. voters (62%) hold a favorable opinion of biotechnology and view its benefits as important, according to new survey data. The poll, conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), also finds strong support for streamlining regulatory processes and updating government policies to allow innovative technologies to come to market.Two-thirds (66%) of voters agree that the government’s regulatory approval process should be updated to allow agricultural biotechnology companies to commercialize innovative products more quickly. A  study last year found that the time it takes to get new biotech plant traits to market has increased 21% since 2012 and the regulatory phase is the longest part of the process of commercializing new traits.A similar share, 67%, of registered voters support government policies that seek to address the country’s challenges, including food insecurity and climate change, through biotechnology.“Voters are eager to leverage cutting-edge biotechnology solutions to address some of the world’s biggest challenges. These survey findings should signal to policymakers the importance of advancing regulatory clarity to help bring biotechnology products to market,” said BIO Vice President for Agriculture & Environment Beth Ellikidis. “It’s time for the administration to put policy action behind its vision. There is a desparate need for the holistic approach outlined in the Biden administration’s ‘Bold Goals for U.S. Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing’ to harness biotechnology in achieving societal goals — such as furthering agricultural innovation, creating food supply resilience, and developing climate change solutions.”Voters surveyed ranked the most important benefits of agricultural and industrial biotechnology as: increasing crop yields to produce more food…