The FuTure oF nuclear Fuel cycle - MIT Energy Initiative

port for nuclear power over the period 1975 to 1985. By 1990, a large majority expressed
opposition to the construction of nuclear power plants. This trend, if continued, would raise
an immediate policy question, because, as the original report The Future of Nuclear Power
projects, the United States may need to build an additional 300 to 400 power plants over the
coming decades.
Between 1990 and 2000 very few survey organizations asked this question. The MIT Surveys
begin in 2002 and were repeated in 2007 and show a public more evenly split about
nuclear power, compared to the surveys in 1990. The 2009 MIT Energy Survey found markedly
higher support for nuclear power than in previous surveys. Fully 61% of the 1,289
respondents said they favored building new nuclear power plants in the United States. One
possible explanation is the 2008 presidential campaign, in which Republican-nominee John
McCain called for a significant expansion in the number of nuclear power plants, especially
during debates, and Democratic-nominee Barack Obama offered no immediate objection.
The 2002 and 2007 surveys asked a somewhat different question than had surveys in the
previous century. Specifically, the surveys asked whether the U. S. ought to expand or reduce
the use of nuclear power. The question allowed people to also indicate whether they
would like to increase or reduce the use of nuclear power, keep it the same, or not use it at
all. In addition to nuclear power, the survey asked respondents’ attitudes toward six other
power sources: coal, natural gas, oil, hydroelectric, solar, and wind.
Do you think the U.S. should reduce or increase its use of nuclear power?
2002 2007
Increase 28% 34%
not change 25% 25%
reduce 38% 29%
not use 9% 12%
Comparison of the 2002 and 2007 surveys show a 6 percentage point increase in those supporting
an increase in nuclear power and a similar drop in the ranks of those who want to
reduce or eliminate the power source. However, asking this more refined version of the question
also reveals that those who want to reduce or eliminate nuclear power still out number
those who want to increase it but the trend is increasingly positive to new nuclear plants.
There does, then, appear to be indications of rising support for the expansion of nuclear
power. Given the different levels of support indicated by different question wordings suggests
that no single question may be ideal, and instead survey research in the future ought to
employ multiple measures and ought to continue past measures, for which there is a ready
basis for comparison.
opinionS about nuClear WaSte
Waste is a critical lynch pin in further development of nuclear power.
Toward the end of the 2007 study, the survey asked respondents if the nuclear waste problem
was solved would they support expansion of nuclear power. 51 percent said that they
128 MIT STudy on The FuTure oF nuclear Fuel cycle