Most Americans Don't Want a Real-Life Jurassic Park

Majority are against bringing dinosaurs back from extinction, if that were an option, per YouGov poll
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 27, 2022 7:43 AM CDT
Most Americans Don't Want a Real-Life Jurassic Park
Stock depiction.   (Getty Images/para827)

If you've ever fantasized about a world in which T. rex once more roamed the Earth, you're in a small minority. YouGov recently surveyed 2,000 American adults on how they felt about helping save endangered species, or even bringing back extinct ones, and the majority answered that they wouldn't be too keen on sharing our space with the dinosaurs. Some of the takeaways from the poll:

  • US citizens are all for preventing animal species currently in peril from going extinct, with 74% saying they somewhat or strongly agree that scientists should be trying to make such efforts.
  • However, in terms of bringing back extinct creatures using genetic wizardry, only 32% of Americans are strongly or somewhat into that idea. Men like the concept more than women—37% versus 27%.
  • Breaking it down to specific dinosaurs of yore, only 10% of those surveyed want to see Tyrannosaurus rex in the flesh, with slightly higher numbers for the pterodactyl (11%) and triceratops (12%).
  • Other extinct animals saw higher percentages: 50% of us think bringing back the giant tortoise would be cool; the passenger pigeon and northern white rhino came in at 44% each, with the dodo bird (39%) and Caribbean monk seal (37%) trailing behind those.
  • Some people may not want to bring dinosaurs back because they think they're already here. According to an unrelated OnePoll survey released last year, 46% of the 2,000 Americans queried definitely think dinosaurs still exist in remote parts of the planet, with another 22% thinking it's possible, per FOX 29.
(More dinosaurs stories.)

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