Attitudes to Nuclear Energy

A new Ipsos MORI survey of public attitudes to the nuclear energy industry on behalf of the Nuclear Industry Association shows the industry to be favourably regarded on balance, a stark contrast with the position just five years ago. Favourable opinion has reached 35% and unfavourable opinion is 26%; a complete reversal of the position in December 2002, when favourable opinion was just 21% and unfavourable opinion 33%. That was the public opinion background against which the Government framed the 2003 Energy White Paper which concluded that nuclear was "an unattractive option". This more favourable viewpoint is against a background of increasing familiarity with the industry in recent years. Familiarity actually fell after 2002 to a low of 17% (who feel they know "at least a fair amount" about the industry), but since then, as media interest in a possible nuclear revival has placed the issues regularly in front of people, has grown strongly � to 27% in 2007.