HILO — Sixty percent of Hawaii Island residents support building the Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea, according to a new poll. ADVERTISING HILO — Sixty percent of Hawaii Island residents support building the Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea,
HILO — Sixty percent of Hawaii Island residents support building the Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea, according to a new poll.
That’s almost identical to a poll conducted last October that found 59 percent of Hawaii Island residents and 62 percent of statewide residents in favor of the $1.4 billion project.
The biggest change was in the number of people who said they were against construction of the 180-foot-tall observatory.
In October, 39 percent of Hawaii Island residents surveyed said they were against it. That dropped to 31 percent in the latest poll, conducted in July.
Native Hawaiians and part Hawaiians also remain split, with 46 percent in favor and 45 percent opposed.
Both polls were commissioned by TMT International Observatory and conducted by Honolulu-based Ward Research Inc.
“It was important for us to understand how Hawaii Island residents feel about the project, and the latest poll results demonstrate that opposition to TMT on Hawaii Island is decreasing,” said TMT Executive Director Ed Stone in a press release. “That’s significant and we are most grateful that the community’s support of the project remains high.”
Stone said he hopes to see construction on Mauna Kea resume by April 2018.
Email Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
