National Nuclear Public Opinion Surveys by Bisconti Research show the percentage of women and men who favored nuclear energy from 1983 to 2024.  The trend lines show women and men following a similar path but with women consistently less favorable. Both paths have trended upward since 1983—for men from 63% favor to 85% favor (+22), for women from 43% favor to 70% favor (+27).

Highlights from the 2024 National Nuclear Energy Public Opinion Survey.

The 2024 National Nuclear Energy Public Opinion Survey shows that favorable public opinion of nuclear energy continues at a record high. For four years in a row, more than three-fourths of the U.S public said that they favored the use of nuclear energy. That is a sea change from four decades ago, when the public was about evenly divided between those who favored nuclear energy and those who were opposed.

In talking about energy sources, the most meaningful discussion links to public values.

The 2024 National Nuclear Energy Public Opinion Survey tested public knowledge on nuclear energy topics. Most respondents failed the test. When shown facts that corrected these misperceptions, respondents found the information to be new and surprising and—important. The study points the way to addressing the large knowledge gaps that persist.

Nuclear energy’s essential role as a major source of clean energy is increasingly recognized internationally and in the United States, but the U.S. public has not yet caught up with world leaders. Clean air is one of the most valued considerations in electricity production. However, only 18 percent in this survey knew that nuclear energy emits no air pollution or, arguably, a tiny amount.

The magnitude of nuclear energy’s contribution in the United States and worldwide is not widely known. Given this poor knowledge and severe underestimation of nuclear energy’s contribution, respondents found facts on the topic both surprising and important.

Radiation is an underlying concern when people think about nuclear energy. The stigma of radiation persists over the years. In 2024, only 17 percent correctly identified nuclear energy as the way one receives the least radiation (out of four possible sources of radiation).

Safety is a top public concern, and this concern is mitigated by information about controls—how nuclear power plants are kept safe. These controls include physical barriers and regulatory oversight. The 2024 survey found that only 18 percent of respondents were aware that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) monitors each nuclear power plant every day. That fact was surprising and judged highly important, as was information about physical barriers.

Reliability is one of the top two considerations for the way electricity is produced, and a large majority of the public also views efficiency as extremely or very important. Many people do not know that nuclear energy meets both these considerations by operating more than 90 percent of the time. Although nuclear energy is seen as one of the most reliable and efficient sources of energy, only one-third of respondents gave nuclear a rating of 9-10 on these two characteristics.

One of the barriers to effective communications about nuclear waste (used nuclear fuel) is that most of the public cannot visualize what is being discussed. In 2024, only 26 percent imagined it as something solid and only 32 percent as something small and safely contained. Respondents found information about waste both surprising and important. One fact described the waste and how it is safely contained. Another explained that the technology exists to recycle nuclear waste for beneficial uses.

Questionnaire for National Nuclear Energy Public Opinion Survey 2024. Online survey of 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults April 30-May 2, 2024. Margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points.

Highlights from the 2023 National Nuclear Energy Public Opinion Survey and the 2022 National Nuclear Power Plant Neighbors Public Opinion Survey. See also the blog post Reverse NIMBY: Nuclear Power Plant Neighbors Say “Yes”

Highlights from the 2023 National Nuclear Energy Public Opinion Survey.

U.S. public support for nuclear energy continues at a record high level, including 71 percent who agree that we should definitely build more nuclear power plants in the future. One type of advanced-design nuclear power plant that is likely to be built in the U.S. is the Small Modular Reactor (SMR). This year’s National Nuclear Energy Public Opinion Survey included some questions to measure current public awareness of SMRs and the appeal of its various advantages.

Observers have offered various opinions about who would be credible spokespersons on nuclear energy topics. Some say that persons who are not associated with the industry would be most credible. Decades of research show that many of these ideas are wrong.

In talking about energy sources, the most meaningful discussion links to public values.

U.S. public support for nuclear energy continues at a record high level. The National Nuclear Energy Public Opinion Survey conducted April 28 - May 5, 2023 found for the third year in a row that three-fourths of the public favor nuclear energy, and about seven in ten support building more nuclear power plants.

Trends on public perceptions of radiation and effective communications were updated in a survey late last year.

This case study of the introduction of nuclear power plant license renewals shows how research and the ultimate outcomes contradicted the industry’s initial timidity. Research also provides guidance for effective communications on the topic.