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I know this topic has come up before but wanted to add this. I wrote to the press release section of a European DNA tester in the UK to ask why certain European countires are under represented in DNA databases. Here was his responce:
" Hi Mark
I cannot give you a definitive response to all your questions because in some cases there is limited research or hard evidence with which to answer.
Many European countries are well mapped for DNA, but generally the further east you go the more patchy it becomes.
However, overall there is no question that there is greater awareness and
use of commercial DNA services in the US. The market is far more mature than in most European countries. In some, such as France, DNA testing is illegal. Although commercial DNA testing of all types is growing in Europe it is fairly safe to assume that lack of awareness is not driving sales in paternity, predisposition or genealogy testing in the same way that simply knowing of the options creates sales in North America.
Received wisdom says that Europeans are much less concerned about ancestry than Americans. Europeans are more likely to feel they know their historical geographic background because that is where they live. Most know where their immediate descendants lived, and having tighter borders provides higher confidence levels in terms of ancestral origin, whether they are right or not. For the majority the question simply does not arise. Interestingly, tests show that individuals can be quite wrong about their assumptions.
In the UK we expect ancestral testing to grow in response to the growing number of historical factual entrainment programmes being broadcast at prime time. We expect the majority of sales to come from the upper middle income bracket.
I hope this response helps. Please let me know if you think I can be of further help."
Anyway I thought it was interesting and others may be curious.
" Hi Mark
I cannot give you a definitive response to all your questions because in some cases there is limited research or hard evidence with which to answer.
Many European countries are well mapped for DNA, but generally the further east you go the more patchy it becomes.
However, overall there is no question that there is greater awareness and
use of commercial DNA services in the US. The market is far more mature than in most European countries. In some, such as France, DNA testing is illegal. Although commercial DNA testing of all types is growing in Europe it is fairly safe to assume that lack of awareness is not driving sales in paternity, predisposition or genealogy testing in the same way that simply knowing of the options creates sales in North America.
Received wisdom says that Europeans are much less concerned about ancestry than Americans. Europeans are more likely to feel they know their historical geographic background because that is where they live. Most know where their immediate descendants lived, and having tighter borders provides higher confidence levels in terms of ancestral origin, whether they are right or not. For the majority the question simply does not arise. Interestingly, tests show that individuals can be quite wrong about their assumptions.
In the UK we expect ancestral testing to grow in response to the growing number of historical factual entrainment programmes being broadcast at prime time. We expect the majority of sales to come from the upper middle income bracket.
I hope this response helps. Please let me know if you think I can be of further help."
Anyway I thought it was interesting and others may be curious.
My four Smith matches aren't related to each other!
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