In comparison to the ‘Space Age’ generation, Gen-Z has a higher level of unfamiliarity with space than the previous generation due to a lack of awareness.
A global survey found that one in three people worldwide are as excited as they are about space, one in nine is terrified of space, and one in five is anxious about space; 97 percent consider space a threat, primarily associated with space junk and climate change.
Inmarsat, the world’s leader in global, mobile satellite communications, has unveiled the largest survey of global consumer attitudes towards space, linking Star Wars, aliens, and billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to space activities.
The report on, ‘What on Earth is the value of space?’, indicates that people who were teenagers when humans first walked on the moon are more optimistic than those who are in Gen-Z. Their understanding of space is more rooted in science than science fiction, as they associate space with research and exploration.
Although nearly half of the population (23%) believes that space exploration is not important. The majority (46%) of respondents think of satellites when they think of space, while 37% think of missions to Mars and the moon, 21% think of aliens and almost 1 in 10 think of Star Wars. Communication and connectivity are not considered by more than one in ten people worldwide.
Recent entrants to the space industry are more optimistic about the potential of space. In China, half of the respondents believe space can provide new sources of essential resources, while 6 in 10 South Koreans believe space can provide new energy sources, and half think space can combat climate change in the UAE.
In the UK, almost half (42%) of Brits worry about space junk and collisions in space; 32% worry that space activity will harm the Earth’s atmosphere and 14 percent worry we’ll pollute space. There is only seven percent of UK residents wishing to work in the space industry (versus 14 percent globally); 31% (versus 32 percent globally) are optimistic about space; 26 percent wish they knew more about space, and 26 percent are excited about space’s potential.
20,000 consumers (18-65 years of age) participated in the largest independent global survey of attitudes toward space in the world. Among them were 3,000 in the UK, 2,000 in the US, 2,000 in Brazil, 2,000 in Canada, 2,000 in Germany, 2,000 in Australia, 2,000 in China, 2,000 in India, 1,000 in South Korea and 1,000 in Japan and 2,000 in UAE. According to Yonder Consulting, Inmarsat conducted the study in April 2022.
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