Support for nuclear energy highest in a decade: Gallup

Americans’ support for nuclear energy is at its highest point in a decade, according to a new Gallup poll.

Fifty-five percent of respondents said they strongly or somewhat favor the use of nuclear energy as a method of providing electricity in the U.S., while another 44 percent said they oppose the use of such energy.

Support for nuclear energy has steadily increased since hitting a record low in 2016, when 44 percent supported its use, Gallup noted.

Republicans have consistently been more supportive of nuclear energy than Democrats over the past two decades. In Tuesday’s poll, 62 percent of Republicans were in favor of using nuclear energy, compared to 46 percent of Democrats.

Nuclear energy is also more popular among men than women. While 67 percent of men said they support its use, fewer than half of women — 42 percent — said the same, according to the Gallup poll.

And college graduates are slightly more likely to support nuclear energy, with 63 percent supporting its use. However, just more than half of those who didn’t graduate college — 51 percent — said they supported the use of nuclear energy.

The slight boost in support comes as the Biden administration continues to make big investments in nuclear energy, including the $6 billion set aside from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law to help keep U.S. nuclear reactors online.

The Gallup poll was conducted from March 1-23 with 1,009 adults and had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

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