Public Support for Nuclear Energy
There is a growing trend of public support for nuclear energy as a safe, environmentally friendly, and economical energy source. Several public opinion polls have captured this trend. A recent poll from October 2007, shows high support for nuclear energy, including 81 percent of respondents who believe nuclear energy will be important in meeting our nation's electricity needs in the years ahead.
This same poll, conducted by Bisconti Research, Inc., for Nuclear Energy Institute found that:
- 81 percent of respondents support license renewal of nuclear plants that continue to meet federal safety standards.
- 70 percent of respondents believe the option should be kept open to build more nuclear energy plants in the future.
- 75 percent of respondents believe electric utilities should prepare now so that new nuclear energy plants could be built if needed in the next decade.
- 62 percent of respondents believe we should definitely build more nuclear energy plants in the future.
- 64 percent of respondents favor the use of nuclear energy as one of the ways to provide electricity in the United States.
- 59 percent of respondents said that it would be acceptable to add a new reactor at the site of the nearest nuclear energy plant that is already operating.
- 75 percent of respondents feel good about using nuclear power to provide more energy because studies have shown it’s a cleaner form of energy than coal, oil or gas.
*This survey was conducted with a national sample of about 1,000 adults and a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.