READ STORY HERERecent polls taken as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing suggest that most Americans still are on board with the space program.
An interesting if unscientific Space.com poll showed 82% of that website’s nearly 7,000 responders in favor of sending astronauts back to the moon. Surely an overwhelming number of that site’s visitors would too be in favor of programs that push beyond the moon into the farther reaches of the solar system and galaxy. In tough economic times it might stand to reason that the majority of the American public would at best lukewarm at the prospects of billions of government dollars spent to reach the next frontier.
Has the space program lost its luster? A recent Pew Research Center poll would suggest the answer is ‘yes’ at least to an extent. When the asked the question of what is America’s greatest achievement of the 20th century ten years ago a healthy 18% of responders mentioned the Apollo 11 moon landing. When asked a similar question this past May about the greatest achievement of just the past fifty years only 12% now place landing on the moon at the top.
That said a recently Gallup survey shows plenty for NASA and the space program to be pleased about when it comes to their public image. 58% of responders to a poll question agreed that the benefits of the space program have justified the overall costs. This figure has shown a noticeable increase over the years since the Apollo 11 mission four decades ago. In 1980 for instance only 41% felt the costs were justified and in 1995 that number was still less than half (47%).
According to the Gallup survey the support for space program spending has bounced around a little over the years but the number consistently remains high. Currently 60% feel that spending on the space program should either be increased or at least kept at current levels. This figure is actually down considerably from a 75% clip in late-2003 but up from a low of 46% in late-1993 and some would suggest impressive considering current economic conditions. Furthermore those who think that NASA is doing a good or excellent job also continue to score with the American public. Their overall approval ratings have consistently been over 50% since the mid-90s and currently sit at 58%.
ABC News conducted a poll asking various space related questions a year and a half ago. Using rather roundabout terminology the poll found nearly two-thirds of responders think it probable or definite that “ordinary” people will travel in space in the “years ahead”.
That doesn’t mean that most Americans themselves are comfortable with the idea of space travel or living abroad in the galaxy however. Only 39% said they would travel in space if the option became available to them and only 38% think NASA should be looking to create permanent settlements located beyond Earth. The ABC poll also finds a considerable majority of the public believing in intelligent life in outer space. The margin of those believing to not believing (55-37%) holds virtually unchanged from a decade earlier.
Have conspiracy theorists gotten to enough of the American public to shift views on the first moon landing and the space program at large? Not really according to polls. In the late 90s polls taken by Gallup and CNN/TIME revealed that only about 6% of the American public believed at least the first moon landing to be a hoax. That’s far less than a 2000 poll that suggest 28% of Russians did not believe the moon landing to be true or the 25% of Britons in a survey conducted just two weeks ago who do not believe that event to have taken place.
CBS backs up previous less conspiracy riddled polls showing that Americans seem to take pride in the moon landings and are generally in favor of major space projects. There are identical results to two polls taken ten years apart asking whether those responding think the first moon landing was worth the costs or not. 71% who say it was worth it looking back now, 24% who disagree and another 5% who remain uncertain.
The numbers aren’t especially gaudy when asked whether the U.S. space program has achieved more, less or about what “you” expected since the first moon landing. The CBS poll reveals only 27% think NASA and company have exceeded expectations against 32% who say less has been accomplished than expected.
Lastly there seems to be conflicting data regarding public opinion on the topic of what is perhaps the next major space-age program. According to the aforementioned CBS poll by a 51-43% margin poll responders are in favor of sending astronauts to explore the planet Mars. CNN/USA Today however shows resistance to a Mars mission in a four year old poll taken of over 1,000 responders. The results of that survey show a 58-40% margin against the U.S. setting aside dollars to engineer a manned spacecraft that would fly to the Red planet. Interestingly even in the midst of “Moonwalk Mania” in the summer of 1969 only 39% of responders to this very same poll considered it worthwhile to invest in a Mars landing.
An interesting if unscientific Space.com poll showed 82% of that website’s nearly 7,000 responders in favor of sending astronauts back to the moon. Surely an overwhelming number of that site’s visitors would too be in favor of programs that push beyond the moon into the farther reaches of the solar system and galaxy. In tough economic times it might stand to reason that the majority of the American public would at best lukewarm at the prospects of billions of government dollars spent to reach the next frontier.
Has the space program lost its luster? A recent Pew Research Center poll would suggest the answer is ‘yes’ at least to an extent. When the asked the question of what is America’s greatest achievement of the 20th century ten years ago a healthy 18% of responders mentioned the Apollo 11 moon landing. When asked a similar question this past May about the greatest achievement of just the past fifty years only 12% now place landing on the moon at the top.
That said a recently Gallup survey shows plenty for NASA and the space program to be pleased about when it comes to their public image. 58% of responders to a poll question agreed that the benefits of the space program have justified the overall costs. This figure has shown a noticeable increase over the years since the Apollo 11 mission four decades ago. In 1980 for instance only 41% felt the costs were justified and in 1995 that number was still less than half (47%).
According to the Gallup survey the support for space program spending has bounced around a little over the years but the number consistently remains high. Currently 60% feel that spending on the space program should either be increased or at least kept at current levels. This figure is actually down considerably from a 75% clip in late-2003 but up from a low of 46% in late-1993 and some would suggest impressive considering current economic conditions. Furthermore those who think that NASA is doing a good or excellent job also continue to score with the American public. Their overall approval ratings have consistently been over 50% since the mid-90s and currently sit at 58%.
ABC News conducted a poll asking various space related questions a year and a half ago. Using rather roundabout terminology the poll found nearly two-thirds of responders think it probable or definite that “ordinary” people will travel in space in the “years ahead”.
That doesn’t mean that most Americans themselves are comfortable with the idea of space travel or living abroad in the galaxy however. Only 39% said they would travel in space if the option became available to them and only 38% think NASA should be looking to create permanent settlements located beyond Earth. The ABC poll also finds a considerable majority of the public believing in intelligent life in outer space. The margin of those believing to not believing (55-37%) holds virtually unchanged from a decade earlier.
Have conspiracy theorists gotten to enough of the American public to shift views on the first moon landing and the space program at large? Not really according to polls. In the late 90s polls taken by Gallup and CNN/TIME revealed that only about 6% of the American public believed at least the first moon landing to be a hoax. That’s far less than a 2000 poll that suggest 28% of Russians did not believe the moon landing to be true or the 25% of Britons in a survey conducted just two weeks ago who do not believe that event to have taken place.
CBS backs up previous less conspiracy riddled polls showing that Americans seem to take pride in the moon landings and are generally in favor of major space projects. There are identical results to two polls taken ten years apart asking whether those responding think the first moon landing was worth the costs or not. 71% who say it was worth it looking back now, 24% who disagree and another 5% who remain uncertain.
The numbers aren’t especially gaudy when asked whether the U.S. space program has achieved more, less or about what “you” expected since the first moon landing. The CBS poll reveals only 27% think NASA and company have exceeded expectations against 32% who say less has been accomplished than expected.
Lastly there seems to be conflicting data regarding public opinion on the topic of what is perhaps the next major space-age program. According to the aforementioned CBS poll by a 51-43% margin poll responders are in favor of sending astronauts to explore the planet Mars. CNN/USA Today however shows resistance to a Mars mission in a four year old poll taken of over 1,000 responders. The results of that survey show a 58-40% margin against the U.S. setting aside dollars to engineer a manned spacecraft that would fly to the Red planet. Interestingly even in the midst of “Moonwalk Mania” in the summer of 1969 only 39% of responders to this very same poll considered it worthwhile to invest in a Mars landing.
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