On the eve of the Presidential
election, Americans continue to support human space flight and endorse the
Space Exploration plan to return to the Moon and to Mars, but they also
question the relationship of NASA to its constituents.

A comprehensive, in-depth study by Dittmar Associates aimed at
understanding public perceptions of NASA and particularly the Space
Exploration Program reveals that Americans continue to support human space
flight, with 69% supporting Space Exploration and 26% opposed. In addition,
when provided information about the percentage of the U.S. budget allocated to
NASA each year (< 1%), 42% of the respondents indicated that it should be
increased, 29% said it should be decreased, and 29% believed it should remain
at its current level.

Dittmar Associates also invited participants to offer their own ideas,
thoughts, and suggestions as if they could be heard by NASA. The results of
the study are therefore similar to a marketing survey, but more importantly
they serve as a dialogue — one-sided though it may be — between a sample of
the American public and its space agency. Some of the results include:

  • 42% of Americans believe that NASA is either “very relevant” or “relevant” to their day-to-day lives;

  • Americans are concerned about terrorism, healthcare, and education, but the degree to which they believe NASA is relevant to their daily lives is the most important determinant of their attitudes toward funding;

  • 61% of Americans indicated that the success of the Mars Rovers has had a positive effect on attitudes toward NASA in general, but this does not necessarily carry over to human space flight;

  • 79% of respondents believe that NASA is “marketed” poorly or very poorly

  • When given the opportunity, Americans have a variety of suggestions about how to better promote the space program and make it more relevant to them personally.

An abridged summary including some of these results is available for free
download at the Dittmar Associates website,
http://www.dittmar-associates.com . The complete, final report presents
information analyzed by demographic variables including age, ethnic
background, region of the country, marital status, political party, and
dependents, and delves more deeply into the perceptions, desires, concerns and
suggestions expressed by study participants in response to questions about
NASA and its missions, particularly the Space Exploration program.

The final report will be available for sale on the Dittmar Associates
website on November 10, 2004.

About Dittmar Associates

Dittmar Associates is a Certified Small Woman-Owned Business and
consulting group located 30 miles south of Houston, Texas. Specializing in
market and business development, training, and R&D, the company works closely
with universities, large companies in aerospace and small technology companies
to provide “the best of the best” to our customers.