Long opinion piece, Scientific American, October 1, 2023

Aside from physical and economic issues, the public has never supported Moon or Mars bases (except one poll in July 1969), and ethical considerations.

Why We’ll Never Live in Space

“Medical, financial and ethical hurdles stand in the way of the dream to settle in space”

Polling about NASA’s role has consistently shown space exploration as the least-desired mission for the agency. Items which get the most support are things such as monitoring climate change, Earth sciences, &c.

The article also notes that the reason space nerds will most often give for space exploration is the technology generated with civilian applications. This is a red herring, as if you want to invest in those things you can invest in them directly.