US Study Documents Shift in Attitudes to Nuclear E
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Recently, ecoAmerica, an environmental not-for-profit organization focused on building political will, public support and institutional leadership for climate solutions, released its annual survey, which focused on Americans’ current perspectives on clean energy use.
The survey looks into how sentiment has shifted from 2018 to 2021. The organization drew its survey sample from a panel of adults in the United States. It conducted the survey online between Aug. 27, 2021, and Sept. 10, 2021, revealing that the survey included a total of 1,110 responses.
The survey found that in the aforementioned period, the support for nuclear energy has grown in the United States by 10%, with almost 60% of participants admitting that they somewhat or strongly supported the use of nuclear energy. The highest level of support was observed in males, with 72% revealing that they either somewhat supported or strongly supported the use of nuclear power.
The survey found that the support was strongest in adults aged 60 and above, with almost 70% of them admitting that they supported nuclear power. An estimated 60% of people between 30 and 44 years old supported the use of nuclear power, while 57% of those aged 18 to 29 were in favor of the use of nuclear energy. For those aged 45 to 60, 54% revealed that they supported nuclear energy.
The survey also found that less than one-half of women who participated in the survey supported the use of nuclear energy. Alarmingly, the survey also discovered that the misconception that solar and wind energy contributed to climate change had grown to 20%, from 12%.
In its report, ecoAmerica stated that understanding about nuclear had grown in the last four years, with 45% of those who responded admitting that they believed that nuclear energy contributed to climate change. While the number is still high, it’s a decrease from the 52% recorded in 2018.
The environmental nonprofit also found that health, safety and waste disposal were recognized as the primary concerns regarding the use of nuclear energy, noting that despite this, decreases were observed in both concerns.
For instance, concerns over health and safety dropped seven points this year, hitting 73% while waste-disposal concerns decreased nine points nationally, to reach 75% at the time of the survey. In addition to this, the survey found that the number of respondents who think the United States should put more money into nuclear energy research and development has increased and is currently at 57%.
The changing attitudes toward nuclear energy signal that uranium extraction companies such as Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) could see increased investor interest in the coming years as efforts to combat climate change intensify.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) are available in the company’s newsroom at http://ibn.fm/UUUU
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