Researcher Wendy Whitman Cobb publishes a study based on Verasight data. 

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Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies at US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, recently published an article in Astropolitics The International Journal of Space Politics & Policy based on a survey conducted by Verasight. The article, titled, “Public Opinion of Commercial Space Exploration” explores the public’s knowledge about commercial space. Notably, the data indicates that respondents do not believe that human spaceflight should be carried out entirely by private actors. Only 26% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that human spaceflight is better left to private entities like SpaceX than government agencies like NASA. 

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Professor Whitman Cobb explains, “Space policy has been a neglected field in political science and public opinion research, so we unfortunately don't have many sources of good data to analyze, especially for an area that is growing in importance such as commercial space.  This research demonstrates that the level of knowledge about commercial space activities among the US public is stunningly low with direct effects for the extent to which people support commercial space efforts.  This also serves as a first step towards a better understanding of what leads people to be enthusiastic about space efforts and the types of trade offs they might be willing to make.”

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Verasight collected data for this survey from September 07 - September 13, 2023. The sample consists of 2,000 United States adults. The data are weighted to match the Current Population Survey on age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status, as well as to population benchmarks of partisanship and 2020 presidential vote. The survey included respondents obtained directly from random address-based sampling (ABS) as well as from Verasight’s proprietary panel, which utilizes random ABS, random person-to-person text messaging, and online targeting as well as multiple authentication methods to ensure the panel is representative of the U.S. population. 

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About working with Verasight, Professor Whitman Cobb writes, “Working with Verasight was incredibly easy.  Their representatives are prompt and responsive and it's a great option for researchers seeking specialized public opinion data.”

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Verasight is proud to provide representative and verified survey data to academic researchers. Importantly, this question was submitted during Verasight’s APSA exhibit where researchers can add free questions to a national Verasight omnibus survey. We will offer this opportunity at MPSA, AAPOR, and APSA in 2024. 

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You can read the full Astropolitics article here and more about the opportunity Verasight offers researchers like Dr. Whitman Cobb here. 

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If you have a research project that uses survey data of any type, we would love to meet with you. Reach out to discover how Verasight's data can contribute to your research.

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The views expressed above are that of the author and contributors and do not constitute a U.S. government or Department of Defense endorsement. 

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