A 2019 survey of 3,000 children from the US, UK, and China found that 30% of them wanted to become YouTube celebrities, while only 11% wanted to be astronauts. Chinese children preferred being astronauts, with 56% choosing it as their preferred career. In contrast, NASA received over 18,000 astronaut applications in 2017. YouTube has over 2 billion users, and the top YouTuber, 8-year-old Ryan Kaji, earned an estimated $26 million in 2019.
During the Space Race and for many years afterward, children across the US and UK dreamed of one day wearing astronaut gear and flying to the stars. Today, kids still have big dreams, only they long for cyberspace and the stars they imagine are themselves. A 2019 survey of 3,000 children revealed that becoming a YouTube celebrity, or “vlogger,” was the future career choice of 30% of children. Only 11% said they would like to join legendary space travelers like Neil Armstrong and Sally Ride. The 8- to 12-year-olds, all from America, the UK and China, were given just three other job options: teacher, who got 26 percent of the vote; professional athlete, who was chosen by 23 percent of the boys; and musician, who finished fourth with 19% of the vote. Interestingly, while vlogger came in first and astronaut came in last overall, Chinese children ranked the two professions in opposite positions compared to their British and American peers, with astronaut being the preferred career of a whopping 56 % of Chinese respondents and YouTubers earning just 16% of the vote.
Astronaut or YouTuber?
Among adults, however, astronaut aspirations are still strong. NASA received more than 18,000 astronaut applications in 2017, far surpassing the previous record of 8,000, set in 1978.
YouTube boasts more than 2 billion users who watch one billion hours of video every day.
Astronauts are paid between $63,600 and $98,317 USD annually; the top YouTuber is 8-year-old Ryan Kaji of Ryan’s World YouTube channel, who earned an estimated $26 million in 2019.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
