Almost a third of scientists in teams that hold licences for animal research said they were concerned that talking publicly would set them up as targets for animal rights extremists.
The finding is part of a MORI poll commissioned by the Wellcome Trust. MORI interviewed more than 1,600 scientists between December 1999 and March 2000. Wellcome Trust director Mike Dexter said that this reluctance to talk publicly perpetuated the stereotype of the "secretive scientist".
Another barrier was a lack of training. In the past year, half the respondents said they had taken part in communication activities but only 16 per cent had received communications training.
A majority felt that scientists should report social and ethical implications when publishing research findings but most did not feel confident about discussing these wider implications.
Scientists said that three things would help them improve public dialogue: encouragement from institutions to spend time communicating; training in dealing with the media; and financial support for such activities.
"As discoveries such as the human genome sequence promise revolutionary medical advances, the scientific community must be equally revolutionary in the way it achieves public support," Dr Dexter said.