How Most Americans Feel About NASA’s $10 Billion James Webb Telescope Investment

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.