Research
Half Of Americans Favor Building More Nuclear Power Plants
By
Oct 7, 2008 - 10:38:43 AM

Opposition Drops by Thirteen Percent Since Three Mile Island Accident 30 Years Ago

Level of support still far lower today than before Three Mile Island Accident

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - ROCHESTER, N.Y. - A new Harris Poll finds that 49 percent of Americans are in support of building more nuclear power plants as opposed to 47 percent in 1979 - virtually unchanged. As both U.S. presidential candidates have taken a stance on this issue, public support and/or opposition will be critical to the future of nuclear power in America. While a third of Americans are still opposed to new nuclear plant construction, this opposition has decreased by 13 percent (from 45 percent to 32 percent) since April 1979 just after the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant on March 28, 1979. Prior to that incident, a series of Harris Polls found that substantial majorities of American adults were in favor of building new nuclear power plants.

In 1975, 63 percent favored building more nuclear power plants while 19 percent opposed their construction. Right after the Three Mile Island accident a Harris Poll found that the public was almost equally divided, 47 percent to 45 percent in favor of building more plants, but a month later a modest 52 percent to 42 percent majority supported an expansion of nuclear power. However, no new power stations have been built in the United States since 1979.

Of interest, today nearly one in five Americans respond that they are "not at all sure" how they feel when asked this question. What is clear, however, is that majorities believe there are major safety problems related to nuclear waste disposal and the possible escape of radioactive material.

This 30-year snapshot of public opinion on nuclear power is the first in the Harris Interactive "FlashBack" series that seeks to compare and contrast U.S. public opinion from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s with those of today on a variety of significant policy issues. At this time of high gas prices and American dependence on expensive imported oil, widespread concern about global warming and the emission of greenhouse gases, many people, including President Bush, are advocating building more nuclear plants.

Both major presidential candidates have addressed this issue. Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama believes that the priority is to make nuclear energy safe and secure before opting to expand its use, but noted that "it is unlikely we can meet our aggressive climate goals if we eliminate nuclear power as an option." Republican nominee Sen. John McCain wants nuclear power on the fast track and supports the construction of 45 new nuclear plants by 2030 with the ultimate goal of 100 new plants. He notes that China, Russia and India share the same goal of 100 new plants.

One key challenge is safety and the public's concern about safety since the Three Mile Island accident and the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl in the old Soviet Union. Today's Harris Poll shows that these public concerns are still very strong. In some ways, public opinion has not changed very much since 1979 when Lou Harris, the founder of The Harris PollŪ, wrote, "It is evident that a majority of Americans are not prepared to reject the use of nuclear power to supply their electrical energy needs. The reason is not so much their faith or confidence in nuclear power, as it is their aversion to more foreign oil dependence by the United States. Despite all these obvious growing doubts and worries about nuclear power, only a minority of the public is willing to conclude that nuclear power is 'not so safe'."

Some of the key findings of this new Harris Poll are:

A 49 percent to 32 percent plurality of adults favor building new nuclear power plants, with 23 percent strongly favoring them and 16 percent strongly opposing them.
A 72 percent majority of adults see the disposal of radioactive waste as a major problem. Smaller majorities see the escape of radioactive materials affect people's health (56%) and in the atmosphere (51%) as major problems.
Overall, however, substantial majorities now (67%) as in 1979 (also 67%) believe that nuclear power plants that produce electricity are safe.

One interesting, possibly surprising, finding is that support for building new nuclear power plants increases with age. Majorities of the two oldest generations, 63 percent to 24 percent of "Matures" (aged 63 and over) and 52 percent to 31 percent of Baby Boomers (aged 44 to 62) support building new nuclear power plants, Only 35 percent of Echo Boomers (aged 18 to 31) and 47 percent of Generation X (aged 28-43) do so. Why is this surprising? Because Matures and Baby Boomers were aged 14 or older in 1979 and are presumably more likely to remember Three Mile Island.

Humphrey Taylor, Chairman, The Harris Poll, notes, "Winning public, and legislative, approval for new nuclear power plants is likely to be a tough, uphill battle. While a 49 percent plurality favors building new nuclear plants, and a majority thinks they are safe, a large number of people have serious concerns about nuclear waste and the possible escape of radioactive materials."

The Harris Poll FlashBack Series

This comparative survey on attitudes about nuclear power in 1979 and today, nearly 30 years later, is the first in a series of innovative Harris Poll "FlashBack" snapshots of U.S. public opinion over time. This monthly FlashBack series will look 10, 20, 30 and even 40 years back in time to learn how Americans felt about some of the most critical topics of their day-the economy and personal finances, sources of energy, the environment, education and lifestyle issues. The series will then compare and contrast the results of recent day surveys to reveal how American attitudes have changed or, in some instances, stayed the same over time.

Why do this? In these turbulent times, angst over jobs and family issues, along with government and economic policies make us wonder - how did Americans feel about similar issues years ago? Previously, public opinion polls changed the way governments, politicians, and business leaders behaved. Leaders today say often that they are not influenced by polls. However, leaders in many walks of life are students of The Harris Poll and other leading polls that tell them about public opinion and behavior.

For example, in 1963, the year The Harris Poll was created, there were dramatic shifts in traditional American values. The social and political climate was increasingly filled with protests and a desire for change. What were things really like then? In that year, George Wallace was elected as Governor of Alabama and cried "segregation" in his acceptance speech. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the poor must have lawyers and ZIP codes were introduced. The cost of a new home was $19,300, an average salary was $4,743 and the minimum wage was $1.00 per hour. A gallon of milk was $0.49, a dozen eggs $0.55 and a gallon of gas was $.30. The Beatles released "Please, Please Me," and Coca-Cola debuted is first diet soda, TAB.

The new FlashBack series provides us with a very unique way to study social and political history and the changes not just in attitudes, values and behaviors, but in public hopes, fears and expectations. We plan not just to report the results of the two side-by-side surveys but to look at the underlying meaning, relevance and implications of the results.

Harris Interactive would like to thank the many media clients who funded the early Harris Polls, including Newsweek, The Washington Post, Time magazine, LIFE magazine, National Public Radio, and "ABC World News." Without their assistance we would not have been able to bring you this FlashBack series.

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