Posted: Mon, Mar 11, 2002, 7:01 AM ET (1201 GMT)
The American public has only limited interest in NASA and would be willing to cut its budget to pay for other programs, according to a poll published Sunday by the Orlando Sentinel. The poll found that far more people were willing to cut NASA's budget than reduce spending for environmental protection, defense, or education, and that support for NASA funding was at its weakest since 1993. In addition, 11 percent of respondents said that NASA was no longer needed, more than those who thought that the agency's primary purpose should be human missions to Mars. However, nearly three-quarters of those polled thought space exploration was somewhat or very important to America's future, and a majority supported the space shuttle and space station. Support for NASA was stronger among men and those with higher incomes and more education. Ipsos-Reid U.S. Public Affairs conducted the poll of 1,000 Americans in late February for the Sentinel.
