Space: 1448 Questions from 1947 to last December

The first questions in iPoll with the topic SPACE came in 1947, surrounding the flying saucer
craze that swept America following the sighting of unidentified flying objects over Mt. Rainier in
Washington by a private pilot named Kenneth Arnold. In a 1947 Gallup survey 90% had heard of the
saucers, but there was no consensus on what they might actually be: 29% said an optical illusion or
imaginary, 15% a US secret weapon, 10% a hoax, 3% weather forecasting devices, 2% airplane lights, and
1% a Russian secret weapon, while 42% gave other answers or didnt know. Interestingly, alien life was
not one of the major theories, at least in the general publics minds. Gallup asked again in 1950, and this
time the largest group thought they were still secret government experiments at 22%, but 2% said it
might be something from another world.

By the mid-50s the prospect of human travel in space was moving closer to reality, and poll
questions began to reflect this. In 1954 38% thought the first flight to the Moon would happen within 50
years, but only 9% were adventurous enough to say they wanted to go along. By 1957 26% correctly
predicted that it would take between 2.5 and 12.5 years, but 14% said never and thought the idea silly.
The numbers of eager volunteers had actually dropped by then, to 5% who wanted to be the first person
in space.

With the space race fully in progress by 1961, 21% said the Moon would be reached in less than
5 years and 30% in 5-10 yearsand 9% still said never. Respondents split over who they wanted to see
gain the lunar surface first 34% said the US, 33% Russia, and 33% had no opinion, but 72% said it was
very or fairly important for the US to be ahead of Russia in space exploration. The 60s also saw a rise in
the desire to participate, as 13% now said they wanted to go to the Moonand by 1966 that figure was
up to 17%.

Gallup also asked about flying saucers again in 1966, and this time 7% thought they were from
another worldwhich dovetails with the 34% in the same survey who thought there were people
somewhat like ourselves living on other planets in the universe. Perhaps not coincidentally, a certainly
long-lived science fiction franchise debuted that fall on TV The most recent asking, in 1996, found 20%
who thought UFOs were alien spacecraft.

With the abandonment of the Apollo program questions about going to space faded away, with
most being about budgetary priorities and the occasional distraction like the fall of the Skylab space
station. In 1979 3% said they had made preparations to protect themselves if it landed in their area,
though the poll noted that it fell in the middle of the interview period. The issue of going to space
yourself would have to wait for the 80s and the rise of the space shuttle program.

In 1986, even polling after the tragic loss of the shuttle Challenger and civilian school teacher
Christa McAuliffe, 39 to 43% told various pollsters they would like to go on a future shuttle mission. In
1988 40% said they wanted to go into space, in 1989 49% said they wanted to go to the Moon, and in
1996 44% said theyd like to go to space. In 1998 22% thought the 21st century would see vacations in
space, and in 1999 though the number who wanted to go to the Moon had dropped to 27%, 21%
wanted to go on space vacations, and 19% more thought they would exist but wanted to stay home.
Finally, in 2010 33% said theyd ride Virgin Galactics suborbital spaceship if someone else paid for the
$200,000 ticket.
 And to bring the point all the way back to the flying saucers, in 2000 21% said if aliens offered
them a ride, theyd say yes. On the other hand, 9% said it was very or somewhat likely that Malaysian
Air Flight 370 had vanished due to the actions of space aliens, time travelers or beings from another
dimension, so not everyone would be so trusting. That presumably includes the 1% who said they had
personally encountered aliens or the 6% who knew someone else who had. The number who believe
that intelligent life does exist out there was up to 47% by 2010, so one can argue that if and when
they do show up, many humans will not be surprised.

So even in a period of so many other things going on, space is still important to the American
people, as demonstrated by the 2016 GSS survey, where 68% were very or moderately interested in
issues about space exploration.