![]() ![]() Still, nuclear energy is a bet that the cost over time of coal or natural gas to power an electric plant will be higher than the upfront cost of building a nuclear reactor. ![]() And nuclear energy has lower greenhouse gas emissions than other power sources, especially coal, so it is considered a clean provider of electricity. Nuclear power plants are expensive to build, often costing billions upfront, although they require relatively low maintenance costs once they are running. The increased opposition to nuclear power does not seem to result from a fear of it, as there have been no major nuclear disasters anywhere in the world since 2011. Gallup’s “bottom line” is that lower gas prices seem “to have lessened Americans’ perceptions that energy sources such as nuclear power are needed. And the percentage of Democrats favoring nuclear power dropped from 54% in 2009 to 42% last year, and dropped another 8 points to 34% now. It dropped to 68% last year and plunged 15 percentage points to 53% now! That’s a huge move.Īmong Independents, those favoring nuclear power has inched down from 48% last year to 46% now. Among Republicans, the percentage in favor of nuclear power had reached 76% back in 2009. This has played out across the political spectrum. This appears to have resulted in more Americans prioritizing environmental protection and fewer backing nuclear power as an alternative energy source. As Americans have paid less at the pump, their level of worry about the nation’s energy situation has dropped to 15-year-low levels. ![]() Lower gasoline prices over the past year are likely driving greater opposition toward the use of nuclear power. Suddenly there’s some room for environmental concerns. Then there’s the cost of gasoline, which has plunged since 2014. This suggests that energy prices and the perceived abundance of energy sources are the most relevant factors in attitudes toward nuclear power, rather than safety concerns prompted by nuclear incidents. Gallup:Īnd although there have not been any major nuclear incidents since Fukushima in 2011, a majority of U.S. With prices of the main fuels for power generation in collapse, the sense of an energy shortage has disappeared and moved electricity off the priority list. Generators, able to dispatch electricity generation to power plants that burn the other fuel, can force both fuels to compete with each other. The price of natural gas has caused the price of coal to crash, both of which are dominant fuels for electrical power generation in the US, each providing over 30% of the total. In late February and early March this year, natural gas was trading on the NYMEX at lows not seen since 1998! In the US, the fracking revolution set off surging production of natural gas. So what had happened by 2010 to cause this? Those who favor nuclear power dropped to 44%, from 51% a year ago: Now, for the first time in the poll’s history, a majority of Americans (54%) opposes nuclear power, a big jump from 43% a year ago, and a massive move from 33% in 2010. “Overall do you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose the use of nuclear energy as one of the ways to provide electricity for the U.S.” In 2010, 62% of Americans were in favor of nuclear power. The question Gallup asked: A year later, with the Fukushima disaster in the news on a daily basis? Against nuclear power: 40% in favor: 57% – unchanged from before the fiasco.īut the in-favor levels of both years were already down from peak popularity of nuclear power in the survey’s history going back to 1994. In 2011, “a few days before” Fukushima melted down, when Gallup conducted its annual Environment poll, 38% of Americans were against nuclear energy, and 57% were in favor of it. But now, cheap energy and declining demand for electricity have accomplished that. The Fukushima meltdown, the consequences it produced in Japan, the contamination it’s spreading around, the expenses of trying to contain it… none of these issues turned Americans against nuclear power. Falling electricity demand and the energy glut! ![]()
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