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Over a third of Russians still cling to dream of becoming cosmonauts, poll says

The survey showed that over half of the respondents would suggest to children that they should participate in a contest to become an astronaut or would discuss this with their family

MOSCOW, June 3. /TASS/. More than one-third (38%) of those surveyed think they could try out for a cosmonaut crew if they met the corresponding requirements. Eighteen percent of them stated that they would surely participate. The survey was carried out by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center, and its results were released on Monday.

"Even adults still dream of travelling to space. More than one-third (38%) would like to try out to become cosmonauts of the Russian Federation if they lived up to the age, health and professional skills requirements. Among men aged under 30, 58% [said they would like to participate], in particular 26% of them said they would definitely participate," the report says.

That said, more than half (56%) of the respondents would suggest to their children that they should participate in a contest to become an astronaut or would discuss this option with their family. Still, just 8% of those surveyed said that their children are dreaming or dreamt of becoming cosmonauts.

The majority of those polled (74%) think that the profession of a cosmonaut will be sought-after in Russia, while 21% of respondents believe otherwise. As many as 13% of respondents dreamt of becoming cosmonauts in their childhood, and one in five (21%) said his friends or acquaintances wanted to go to space. That said, the youth (aged 18-29, 16%) dreamt of space more than the older generation (over 60 years of age - 7%).The poll was carried out on May 31, 2019, among 1,600 respondents. The margin of error is not more than 2.5%, with a 95% probability.