Read more of the Rare Under-40 Poll results:
- Exclusive Rare Under-40 poll finds young people hold surprising views on Obama, marijuana, God and more
- Rare Under-40 Poll: Are young people turning away from God?
- Rare Under-40 Poll: What's worse — marijuana or alcohol?
- Rare Under-40 Poll: Porn is ruining our sex lives?
- Rare Under-40 Poll: Do young voters think religious people are more marginalized than before?
- Rare Under-40 Poll: Obama's support from young people is waning
- Rare Under-40 Poll: On impeachment, young voters are split by party
- Rare Under-40 Poll: All aboard for the Mars colony?
- Rare Under-40 Poll: Should government help young people with their student loan debt?
- Rare Under-40 Poll: Who trusts the police more?
- Rare Under-40 Poll: Young people are still pro-choice
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About the poll
From August 11th till the 18th, Gravis Marketing, a nonpartisan research firm, conducted a random survey of 556 under 40 voters in the United States regarding current issues that impact the political and social landscape. The poll was conducted using Gravis Marketing Internet Panels (47%) and Gravis Automated Calls (53%) on behalf of online media outlet Rare.US. Overall, the poll has a margin of error of ± 5%. The general scope of the Gravis Marketing poll was to capture opinions of registered voters under the age of 40 on political, social, religious, and economic issues. The poll included a group of 54% female registered voters and 46% male voters across the United States. The majority of those polled (39%) stated they were 'independent' voters, while 32% claim to be members of the Democratic Party and 29% registered Republicans.
About Rare
Rare.us, a Cox Media Group property based in Washington, DC, was the fastest growing major media site in the United States in August with nearly 20 million visitors -- 40 times more than the same period a year ago. This unrivaled growth is the result of leveraging social media to discover and distribute the buzzworthy and uplifting content Americans will share with their networks.
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After decades of American space exploration, young people don't see it as a priority for the U.S. That's the finding of a new poll conducted for Rare, a Cox Media Group website based in Washington, DC.
Fifty-two percent of young voters say the United States should not lead efforts to colonize other planets, while 32 percent say it should and a further 21 percent are unsure.
The question was asked as part of a first-of-its-kind Rare poll that surveyed only respondents under 40. The questions were tailored to chart trends in the opinions of younger voters.
>>Read all of Rare's under-40 poll results
There were some surprises in the results. Republicans, traditionally more inclined to talk about American national greatness than Democrats, were dead-set against colonization. Only 18 percent supported it, compared to 26 percent of Democrats and 33 percent of independents.
Still, some Republicans have held out, like Newt Gingrich who said during the 2012 presidential primary that the United States should establish a base on the moon.
“I’d like to have an American on the moon before the Chinese get there,” he said.
Also surprisingly, the more educated a respondent was, the less likely he was to support space colonization. Only 24 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree and 27 percent of those with a master’s degree supported living on other planets. Thirty-nine percent of those without a high school degree were supportive.
Since the recession, other polling shows voters have grown increasingly concerned about basic issues like the economy and jobs, while losing interest in less-personal issues like climate change and the environment.
The Rare survey was conducted by nonpartisan Gravis Marketing between August 11 and August 18. A total of 556 respondents under age 40 were interviewed over the phone and using Internet panels. Overall, the poll has a margin of error of 5 percent.
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