How Italian health consumers feel about clinical research: a questionnaire survey.

Background: Because little information is available about the public's awareness of and attitudes toward clinical research, we planned a survey on a convenience sample of health consumers.

Methods: A cross-sectional national survey was carried out using a questionnaire with seven multiple choice questions and two scenarios. A convenience sample of 2000 individuals aged 18 years and older was interviewed in nine out of 21 Italian regions.