From Green Right Now Reports
Image: nasa.gov
Many Americans believe a renewed United States effort in space exploration could yield a timely benefit: Increasing understanding of climate change.
That was one of the findings from a recent independent “space poll” conducted by the Everett Group, an opinion and market research organization located just outside Washington, D.C. In the days before President Barack Obama’s speech vowing continued commitment to explore the solar system and land astronauts on Mars, Everett surveyed 1,200 randomly selected adults by land line and cell phone.
Among the results:
- One-third said it is very important that the U.S. continue to explore the solar system, while another third considered it “somewhat” important.
- Among those who believe the space program is needed, 63 percent cited protecting the Earth from comets and asteroids as a primary objective, while 57 percent listed understanding climate change as a significant benefit.
Finding extraterrestrial life was not a priority: Only 18 percent of those surveyed listed it as important.
Obama’s Kennedy Space Center speech came amid debate about jobs and national status that might be lost if NASA’s Constellation program were to be discontinued. Poll respondents’ concerns about possible changes in NASA’s direction included job losses and threats to national security (both at 54 percent). Even more (63 percent) worried that changes would cause a loss of inspiration for America’s youth to study science and math.
The poll’s findings have a maximum margin of sampling error of 3.7 percentage points, plus or minus. A summary of the findings can be found on the Everett Group’s “Space Poll” Web site.