Fifty-seven percent (57%) of Americans say it is Somewhat or Very Likely that life exists on other planets. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 35% say life is Not Very Likely or Not at All Likely. Those figures are little changed from earlier surveys.

Younger Americans are far more likely to be found on other planets than their elders. Seventy-three percent (73%) of adults under 30 say it’s likely that life exists elsewhere in the galaxy. That figure includes 39% who say it’s Very Likely.

Among the nation’s senior citizens, just 15% say it’s Very Likely that life exists on other planets. Another 22% say it’s Somewhat Likely.

Men are somewhat more confident that life exists beyond the earth than women, but there are few dramatic differences across demographic segments other than age.

The survey was conducted during a mission of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, a mission seen as so routine that few are paying attention. Only 9% of Americans say they are following stories of the mission Very Closely. Another 28% say Somewhat Closely.

Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Americans have a favorable opinion of NASA, the nation’s space agency. Only 25% have an unfavorable view.

Seventy-two percent (72%) say it’s important for the United States to have a manned space program. That includes 40% who say it’s Very Important. Only 21% say such a program is Not Very Important or Not at All Important. An earlier survey found that 53% of Americans say it is at least somewhat likely that man will walk on Mars within the next 25 years.

Sixty-two percent (62%) believe the Space Shuttle program has been a success. Fifteen percent (15%) label it a failure.

Rasmussen Reports conducts ongoing surveys measuring the attitudes of Americans on the news of the day including immigration, the President’s Job Approval, gun control, partial-birth abortion, and Iraq. The latest updates can be found on the Rasmussen Reports home page.

Crosstabs are available for Premium Members only