The relevant statistic isn’t “most Americans”, it would be “most American miners...”
Not giving them an honest estimate of their time below ground is criminal.
OTOH, it would be heart-sinking to see a bunch of sudoko books and 2000-pc puzzles come through the umbilical.
‘Y’all tryin to day somethin?’
The psychology is actually pretty solid... the Stockdale Paradox... to not lose hope, without setting a deadline is key... if the expectation were set for four months, and then the days lingered toward six... you would have miners dying of a broken heart.
Is there any information on what type of shelter they are in or how large it is? I would also be interested in what the environment is like where they are. I hope that Chile is accepting any and all help from outside countries to aid in the rescue unlike our own pathetic administration that declined help with the oil leak.