Poll: Americans Say U.S. Should Go To Mars

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: In The News

(CBS)

A slim majority of Americans believe the United States should send astronauts to Mars despite the current economic crisis, a newly-released CBS News poll finds.

Fifty-one percent of those surveyed back the journey to Mars. Forty-three percent opposed it. In 2004, 48 percent said the U.S. should send astronauts to Mars, while in 1999 that figure was 58 percent.

As the country marks the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, meanwhile, there is widespread agreement that landing men on the moon was worthwhile. Seventy-one percent said it was worth the time, effort and money that went into the endeavor, while 24 percent said it was not.

(CBS)

That's a dramatic shift from 30 years ago, when, amid a gasoline shortage and a struggling economy, just 47 percent said landing men on the moon was worthwhile. A slightly higher percentage – 49 percent – said it was not.

Yet many Americans say the space program has fallen short of their expectations. Thirty-two percent say the space program has accomplished less than they expected, while 27 percent say it has exceeded their expectations. Thirty-six percent say the program has accomplished about what they expected.

The U.S. has sent spacecraft such as rovers to Mars, but humans have yet to set foot there. Men (62 percent) are far more likely than women (42 percent) to favor sending astronauts to the planet.

In addition, Americans under age 45, who were less likely to have watched the moon landing on television in 1969, favor exploring Mars. Older Americans are opposed to the idea.

NASA on Thursday unveiled refurbished video of the 1969 moon landing, in conjunction with its 40th anniversary. On Wednesday, space shuttle Endeavour launched on a flight to the international space station. NASA plans to retire the shuttle fleet after seven more launches.

Read the complete poll (PDF)>

Complete Coverage: 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing

This poll was conducted among a random sample of 944 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone July 9-12, 2009. Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by horse3farm July 25, 2009 3:44 PM EDT: Who thought up this stupid poll?; Reply to this comment


by proudmilvet July 20, 2009 11:45 PM EDT: Let's send Rush Limbaugh up as a Weather Balloon!; Reply to this comment


by proudmilvet July 20, 2009 11:38 PM EDT: CarlR609, No we are not Junior High School Dropouts.If we we're we would all be Republicans & all have our own Radio & TV Talk Shows Like Rush Limbaugh & the rest of the Super Patriotic but Non-Military Serving Hypocrits at "Faux News".; Reply to this comment


by SAMTORRES66 July 20, 2009 10:22 PM EDT: Mars for what? why? don't waste my tax money.....; Reply to this comment

by payasyougo July 20, 2009 8:58 PM EDT

"Poll: Americans Say U.S. Should Go To Mars"
----

Maybe they expect to find those WMDs...

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by Yeah-Me July 20, 2009 11:47 PM EDT: Micro Warp Drives?


by rdepontb July 20, 2009 8:21 PM EDT: NASA has been spending our future in so many areas that is is an insult to scientists the world over to even consider continuing this charade.

They have over 150 people doing Public Relations work alone---no wonder their numbers are high like this. The lost research for areas from medicine to human engineering to alternative fuels has been staggering. Enough with the fancy daydreams already.

We are on this planet and need to take care of it and of ourselves first.; Reply to this comment

by tiredofthebs July 20, 2009 7:47 PM EDT

These are people that sit on JURIES. Scary .........

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by sincity_q July 20, 2009 7:57 PM EDT: No s**t!


by despido July 20, 2009 7:38 PM EDT: Poll: Americans Say U.S. Should Go To Mars...

That's not surprizing considering the bleak future Obama is creating.; Reply to this comment

by ramos1129 July 20, 2009 6:34 PM EDT

As a country, we should not be the ones sending man to Mars or to the moon. There are over 20 large and small companies that have space exploration as their mission statement. NASA needs to sell/lease/whatever all of its assets to these firms and just act as a "FAA". These firms would be very glad to take all of the risk - financial and otherwise, as long as they can reap the commercial rewards.Be it ego, pride, hubis and/or inertia, we have not nurtured these private firms. Just consider the billions saved and the billions earned were they allowed/encouraged to do exactly what their mission statements say.

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by cs4466 July 20, 2009 6:37 PM EDT: That's a very good point.

by nordeck52 July 20, 2009 5:33 PM EDT

by rightaboutit July 20, 2009 9:25 AM EDT
The people are on to the republican party and the party is over. republicans are about to go the way of the whigs.

The major difference here is that the Whigs were the liberal party as opposed to the conservative Democratic party (until they switched to liberalness later). But I do think you're right though.

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