Did surveys ask people if they'd go to Mars one-way, and what'd they say?
Research question: Have any surveys asked ordinary people whether they would volunteer for a one-way Mars trip, and what did they say?
The only survey-based record provided is a 2022 study of willingness to settle on Mars, which found that research and innovation advancement and the bodily effects of radiation and microgravity most affected respondents' willingness, followed closely by quality of life 8. That study, as described here, does not report a direct count of people who would volunteer for a one-way trip, so it only partly answers the question 8. The other records are not surveys: the more than 165,000 Mars One applications are a figure from applications, not a survey 1, and the more than 500 emails a journal received were volunteer messages 2. Those volunteers included students, soldiers, nurses and space enthusiasts who said they would be happy to leave their lives on Earth 4, and the newest fact here dates from 2022, about four years before October 2026 8.
Sources
"Applicants over the age of 18 from any country are eligible to apply, and Mars One has received more than 165,000 applications already."These People Want to Go to Mars (and Never Come Back)
"the editors say they were stunned when more than 500 e-mail messages came from people around the world, volunteering to be the first Mars colonists"One-Way Mars Mission: Would You Boldly Go? - ABC News
"Sweeney, a self-described optimist, said he would go even if the odds were 99-to-1 against surviving."These People Want to Go to Mars (and Never Come Back)
"Students, soldiers, law enforcement officers, nurses, and space enthusiasts young and old wrote in, saying they'd be happy to leave their lives on Earth for the chance to be pioneers."One-Way Mars Mission: Would You Boldly Go? - ABC News
"It's going to happen some way or another sometime. It may as well happen now. I don't see any sense in delaying it," said R.J. Musat, a 56-year-old computer operator at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio."One-Way Mars Mission: Would You Boldly Go? - ABC News
"Many who claimed no relevant training at all added their names to the list."One-Way Mars Mission: Would You Boldly Go? - ABC News
"The response was so great, in fact, that the journal announced Thursday that it would actively seek volunteers and supporters for a Mars mission."One-Way Mars Mission: Would You Boldly Go? - ABC News
"The results showed that the factors that most affected humans’ willingness to settle on Mars were the advancement of research and innovation and the impacts on their body as a result of radiation and microgravity, closely followed by quality of life."The Willing of Humans to Settle on Mars, and the Factors that Affect it (2022)