How Most Americans Feel About NASA's $10 Billion James Webb Telescope Investment
The James Webb Space Telescope is one of the most well-documented scientific endeavors of its kind, staying in the public eye from its early inception days and all the way up to its first clear capture being shared by President Biden in summer 2022. But despite all of the promises it holds and the ability to usher astronomical discoveries into a new era, the public perception of the NASA-led project is somewhat skewed, with some even thinking it was a bad investment.
Seven in 10 Americans have a very or somewhat favorable view of NASA; just 13% view NASA unfavorably and 16% say they don't know.
Similar shares of Democrats (79%) and Republicans (72%) view NASA favorably.https://t.co/gcL65FIjLE pic.twitter.com/vu8pQS24eV
— YouGov America (@YouGovAmerica) July 19, 2022
According to a survey conducted by YouGov, 70% of U.S. adults have a favorable opinion of the space project that aims to unlock the mysteries of galactic evolution and the formation of planetary systems. Nearly 16% of the surveyed folks had no clear view about the James Webb Space Telescope, while 14% had an unfavorable outlook. Viewing it across the political spectrum, folks aligning with the Democrat party had a 79% share of favorable standpoints, while 72% of Republicans had a positive impression of the floating observatory, which is currently orbiting the sun at a distance of approximately 1 million miles from the Earth.
It's too early though
YouGov also conducted a poll about the James Webb Space Telescope from a financial investment perspective, when compared to other initiatives like the Hubble space telescope, sending astronauts back to the moon, and blasting off probes to other planets. Interestingly, 60% of the surveyed American citizens thought the Webb project to be a worthwhile investment, while a small 5% share of the participants classified it as a very bad investment.
Of all the space-related initiatives, the Global Positioning System (GPS) took the crown as the most worthwhile investment with a positive approval of 76% among the surveyed folks. It was followed by the Hubble telescope at 70%, while 66% of the respondents classified the International Space Station as a good investment.
NEW: Following the release of the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope, 3 in 5 Americans say the telescope has been a good investment. One-quarter (26%) are unsure, and 13% say it has been a bad investment.https://t.co/gcL65FIjLE pic.twitter.com/AwJxbSkZVF
— YouGov America (@YouGovAmerica) July 19, 2022
But do keep in mind that the survey only involved 1,000 people, which is an extremely small number compared to the country's population of over 300 million. Moreover, the Webb telescope has only begun to show its potential, unlike the other space projects that have been around for decades. So far, the first set of Webb images have already wowed the world with their unprecedented clarity, but a lot more is yet to come as it relays more observation data back to Earth.