Trending now: Using big data to examine public opinion of space policy

This article addresses a timely and widespread issue, that of public opinion and the rise of "big data." Analysts of US space policy have consistently noted the role that public opinion plays in setting the directions for US space exploration. However, the tools that have been used to measure public opinion suffer from serious shortcomings in terms of timing and lack of available data. This paper introduces two new measures of public opinion, Google Trends and Twitter, and details how they can be used to assist in measuring interest in space policy in the American public. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.