Soon after NASA shared the first stunning images taken by the agency’s new, powerful James Webb Space Telescope, a new online poll asked Americans: Was the nearly $10 billion observatory a good investment? And the definitive answer: yes.
Today, marketing and data analytics firm YouGov released an online poll of 1,000 Americans asking them about their overall opinion of NASA and whether or not the various space programs have been good investments. Roughly 70 percent of those polled have a favorable opinion of NASA, and 60 percent think the James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, is worthwhile.
YouGov notes that this survey was conducted between July 14 and July 18, after NASA released the first dazzling JWST images of sparkling galaxies and nebulae on July 12. These images seem to have been enough to overshadow some of JWST’s past drama. The telescope may be in space and working right now, but it’s been a long and arduous journey to this point. Before its launch, the development of JWST was marked by significant delays and budget overruns. Originally, NASA and mission organizers had hoped to launch the telescope sometime between 2007 and 2011 for a relatively low cost of $1 billion to $3.5 billion. But the telescope went through a dizzying series of mishaps and mishaps. By the time JWST finally launches on Christmas Day 2021, its total lifetime costs will be $9.7 billion.
NEW: After the release of the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope, 3 in 5 Americans say the telescope is a good investment. A quarter (26%) were unsure and 13% said the investment was bad. pic.twitter.com/AwJxbSkZVF
— YouGov America (@YouGovAmerica) July 19, 2022
To be fair, the nearly $10 billion cost of JWST is NASA’s lifetime cost, so that includes most of its development since the early 2000s, as well as the first five years of its operations. according to the Planetary Society. The Planetary Society also notes that the total cost of JWST represents 0.0095 percent of all US spending between 2003 and 2026.
Of course, most of those polled probably didn’t think about the price when looking at the ins and outs of the Carina Nebula, which JWST captured in incredible detail. When shown the now iconic photo, people waxed poetic. “Awe in the face of incredible beauty,” said one person who responded to the YouGov poll. “I was pretty blown away by this,” wrote another. “It’s magnificent to be able to see so much detail in such a small part of the universe.”
“Awe in the face of incredible beauty.”
And these first images are just a small teaser of what’s to come. The stunning pictures and discoveries will continue to come the longer the telescope operates in space. And survey respondents said they wanted more. “Some applauded NASA’s ongoing space exploration for its wider contribution to scientific knowledge, while others said they looked forward to seeing what else the telescope revealed,” YouGov wrote in its announcement.
YouGov also polled respondents about other space investments, including the Hubble Space Telescope, currently in orbit around Earth, the International Space Station and the space shuttle program. All received generally positive reviews.
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