Moon photos don’t move spending views

A randomized national poll around Artemis II shows that visual spectacle (three mission photos) greatly increases positive feelings toward the images themselves but has no measurable effect on whether people think space missions are a good use of taxpayer money. The result also highlights demographic splits: men and college graduates are substantially more favorable toward taxpayer funding of space than women and non‑graduates. — If imagery alone doesn’t change fiscal attitudes, space agencies and advocates must use different persuasive strategies to build durable public support for taxpayer-funded missions — affecting outreach, budgeting, and political coalitions.