Poll Shows Japan Crisis Has Had Little Effect on Americans’ Opinions of Nuclear Power
A new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll shows that problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan has had little effect on Americans’ views regarding nuclear energy.
Here are some key poll findings from the Harris Interactive press release:
- “The U.S. public is almost equally divided on whether or not more nuclear power plants should be built on American soil, with 41 percent supporting the idea and 39 percent opposed. This represents only a slight change from three years ago, when 49 percent supported nuclear plants and 32 percent opposed them…”
- “Almost a third of all adults (29 percent) still consider nuclear power plants ‘very safe,’ with another 34 percent saying they are ‘somewhat safe.’ In 2008, those numbers were very similar, at 34 percent and 33 percent, respectively.”
- “Additionally 59 percent of those surveyed agree to this statement, ‘It is OK to build nuclear power plants if we build them far enough away from earthquake fault lines and areas with large populations.’”
Read the Harris Interactive press release for more details and for information about the poll’s complete findings.
