Astrobiology impression survey for public in Japan

Abstract

Astrobiology, an interdisciplinary field, is gaining attention from astronomers. While Astronomy and Biology are well-recognized research fields in Japan, there have been no previous surveys to gauge public awareness of Astrobiology as a new research field. The term "life in the universe" is often associated with aliens in science fiction. To understand the awareness of Astrobiology in Japan and which fields are considered relevant to it, we conducted a survey of 2,000 members of the general public. The results revealed that about 80\% of the respondents had never heard of the word "Astrobiology". We also surveyed the awareness of words related to Astrobiology, including those commonly found in science fiction and the media. Based on the results from this survey, we aim to discuss strategies to increase awareness and outreach in Japan with regards to astrobiology as a new interdisciplinary research field.