Public opinion on nuclear energy: Turning a corner?

摘要

Arecent Nuclear News editorial raised the question, "Good news, anyone?" and cited a March Gallup poll as one sign of possible good news (NN, May 2019, p. 4). So, are we turning the corner on public perception of nuclear energy? The annual national survey conducted in April by Bisconti Research indicates that the answer is yes. The April poll marks an inflection point in attitudes toward nuclear energy for three reasons: (1) the historic perception gap, when respondents viewed public opinion toward nuclear energy more negatively than their own, is vanishing— especially among those aged 18 to 34; (2) two-thirds of respondents would put the primary focus on an energy mix, including nuclear energy, instead of only renew-ables or only nuclear energy; and (3) large majorities judged five environmental advantages of current or future nuclear power plants as extremely or very important.