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New U.K. Poll Shows New Support for Nuclear Energy

By Eric McErlain
For a while now, I've written that folks ought to be careful when reading public opinion polls concerning nuclear energy in Europe. For the most part, as we've pointed out here at NEI Nuclear Notes, these polls were taken before the 2005 crisis over natural gas supply that took place involving Russia and Ukraine -- an event that clearly demonstrated the need for diversity in Europe's energy portfolio.

Well, I'm happy to announce that the polls have finally caught up to reality.

From The Times (London):
An overwhelming majority of people believe that nuclear power will have a role to play in meeting Britain’s future energy needs, despite continued opposition from environmental campaigners.

The latest in a monthly series of ethical reports compiled for The Times describes a growing groundswell of support for a new generation of nuclear power plants.

Nearly two thirds of those surveyed by Populus said they believed that nuclear power will form part of an overall energy mix in the future, alongside coal, gas and “green” energy. More than one in five argued that it was the best way of tackling climate change. Only 20 per cent said that they remained opposed to the idea of nuclear power “under any circumstance”.
That's quite a turnaround.

For more on nuclear energy and public opinion in the U.S., see our Web site.

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Anonymous said…
The only conclusion I draw is that overall support for nuclear power (or opposition to, depending on the news day) is very squishy. But for the moment the pro-nuclear side has the edge in the tug of war for the hearts and minds.
August 30, 2007 at 7:18 PM
rsynnott said…
Certainly an impressive turnaround. I fear it may take a little longer here in Ireland, though...
August 31, 2007 at 7:33 AM
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