Space

A majority of Americans (69%) say it’s essential for the U.S. to continue to be a world leader in space. As private companies become a bigger part of the industry, the public gives them more positive than negative ratings for their contributions to space exploration and spacecraft development. Still, Americans continue to say NASA has a critical role to play going forward.

Pew Research Center’s political typology sorts Americans into cohesive, like-minded groups based on their values, beliefs, and views about politics and the political system. Use this tool to compare the groups on some key topics and their demographics.

In the U.S., highly religious adults are much more skeptical about the possibility of extraterrestrial life than those who are less religious.

About two-thirds of Americans (65%) say their best guess is that intelligent life exists on other planets.

Americans express overwhelmingly favorable opinions of federal agencies like the Postal Service, the National Park Service, NASA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) despite historically low levels of public trust in the federal government.

Most Americans think sending astronauts to Mars or the moon should be a lower priority for NASA – or say it should not be done at all.

Thousands of space launches have spawned a massive orbital junkyard. Many Americans are doubtful private companies will keep space clean of debris.

Most Americans are confident that private space companies will make meaningful contributions in developing safe and reliable spacecraft or conducting research to expand space knowledge.

About four-in-ten Americans (42%) say they would definitely or probably be interested in orbiting the Earth in a spacecraft in the future, while roughly six-in-ten (58%) say they would not be interested.

Despite the increasing role of private companies in space exploration, most believe NASA’s role is still vital for future