Using Public Support to Lobby for Greater Public Funding of Aging Research

I don't pay a great deal of attention to the political lobbying efforts that take place in the community of supporters of aging research, as governmental funding is usually the last to the table, arriving long after the hard work of opening up a new field is done. There are a number of lobbying groups actively working in the US political system, and some single-issue political parties in Europe performing an analogous function. The material here is an example of the work taking place amongst those who lobby, the Alliance for Longevity Initiatives in this case. It is the business of persuading politicians that it is in their short-term interest to divert more funding into useful programs, while hoping that said funding doesn't just get funneled into irrelevant and wasted efforts set up by the politically connected. A new national poll of registered voters in the United States demonstrates broad bipartisan support for advancing research into longevity treatments that would extend healthy human lifespan. The poll, which was conducted by Public Policy Polling on behalf of The Alliance for Longevity Initiatives (A4LI), found that 70% of respondents support medical research that seeks to treat the cellular aging process as a means to prevent or delay the onset of all age-related chronic diseases. The majority of poll participants also believe that the US government should prioritize funding for this area of research. However, Americans' support for aging research is...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs