Opinions on Nuclear Energy Still Mixed

Opinions on Nuclear Energy Still Mixed

JRN100 Staff Reporter

By Cole Guidrey

 Americans still prefer solar and wind power over nuclear energy, although they would rather the country’s energy come from nuclear plants than coal, oil, or gas production, according to a recent poll by Pew Research Center.

Pew Research Center published the study by Rebecca Leppert, “Americans continue to express mixed views about nuclear”, on March 23, 2022.

The study found that coal mining was the least popular, with 20% of U.S. adults who say the federal government should support it. A third of U.S. adults said that the federal government should support oil and gas production, and 35% say the government should support the production of nuclear energy.

Pew Research Center polling found that no more than half of adults in any survey since 2016, the first time this question was asked, have favored expanding nuclear power plants to generate electricity.

Dr. Ann Bisconti thinks there is even higher support for nuclear than the polling has found. She said that her research has found much higher support for nuclear energy.

Dr. Bisconti has been in the industry for over 50 years, researching how the public views nuclear energy. She is a member of the American Association of Public Opinion Research and teaches about communicating on nuclear issues at Fundamentals of Nuclear Communications.

“My goal is to help the nuclear industry best understand public opinion,” said Dr. Bisconti.

She founded Bisconti Research, located in Maryland, which has been working to build public support by giving accurate information about nuclear energy.

 “There is a public perception of opposition to nuclear energy,” said Dr. Bisconti.

She said her research shows that people who live in neighborhoods where nuclear power plants are located tend to not oppose the energy source. She said they are actually very supportive of it.

“We found that nuclear neighbors view nuclear energy very favorably,” said Dr. Bisconti.

She said some of the public’s resistance to nuclear energy, is a lack of understanding. She said people have a misunderstanding of the nuclear industry’s technology and facilities safety.

“New plants are actually beautiful,” said Dr. Bisconti.

The number of U.S. nuclear power reactors has gradually declined over the past three decades after peaking in 1970. Nuclear energy is still included in many state governments’ plans to move away from fossil fuels.

Dr. Bisconti blames the decline of nuclear production on nuclear companies, not public opinion. She said that many times construction was approved for projects, but the companies did not follow through with building the nuclear plants.

There are currently  93 nuclear power reactors, operating in the U.S., and two that are under construction. About 19% of all U.S. electricity has been generated by these reactors.

Recent polling also found that U.S. adults registered as Republicans are more favorable of nuclear energy when compared to Democrats. Pew Research found that Republicans have expressed support for nuclear power expansion in greater shares than Democrats in each survey since 2016.

 “In April 2021, six-in-ten Republicans favored expanding nuclear power plants to generate electricity in the country, compared with 43% of Democrats,” said the Pew Research Center.

 Dr. Bisconti said that despite those findings, that Democratic leadership has done more for nuclear energy than Republicans in the past few decades. Biden’s new Build Back Better Act provides billions of dollars to nuclear energy research and production.

The federal government has shown support for the nuclear power sector through the $6 billion Civil Nuclear Credit Program as part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

While the Obama and Biden presidencies have shown support for nuclear energy at the federal level, poll numbers do not show a reflection in support from Democratic voters.

The partisan gaps are much larger in views of fossil fuels and coal mining, said Pew Research Center.

There are also large gender divides in public opinion on nuclear energy across the globe. Men were more likely to favor nuclear energy in 18 of the 20 publics that Pew Research polled across the globe.

“Men are nearly twice as likely as women to say the federal government should encourage the production of nuclear power (46% vs. 25%),” said Pew Research Center.

Men are twice as likely to say the government should support nuclear production. It is still unclear why this is. But Phillip O’Ward points to occupational and biological gaps between the genders.

“There is already a gender gap in nuclear energy’s workforce, and men also assess risk differently,” said O’Ward.

He said a combination of many factors creates higher favorability among men than women.

O’Ward is a moderator of an online community that discusses nuclear energy on Reddit. The content in this community ranges from in-depth technological studies to memes about nuclear energy. He also co-hosts the podcast, the Climate Fix.

“We need level-headed experts to inform the body politic and finally solve problems instead of fighting,” said O’Ward.

He sees climate change as an imminent threat. He said the natural tradeoffs of nuclear energy are minimal compared to other energy sources and a net positive for humanity.

O’ward has watched his small community grow to 24 thousand members and sees their enthusiasm as a way to gather support for nuclear energy.

The Pew Center polling shows the public supports wind and solar over nuclear energy. But O’Ward points to the high energy output capabilities of nuclear power.

“It would have been game over for the planet if our only options were wind, hydro and solar,” said O’Ward.

He believes that nuclear is the most efficient way to produce affordable energy. Without an affordable option, many people would not be able to access the energy they need for important tasks.

“It is also an ethical dilemma that the population has access to cheap power especially to lift up the world's poor,” said O’Ward.

He said that nuclear energy will play a powerful role in combating climate change.

“I have a niece and a nephew, and I don’t want to give them a world that is chaotic,” he said