SCBIZ Daily Staff 

A recent Harris poll released Thursday shows that, though opposition has dropped substantially since the April 1979 incident at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, one-third of Americans still oppose nuclear plant construction.

Opposition to nuclear generation decreased by 13 percentage points, from 45% to 32%, since 1979, according to the poll results. Almost half of Americans, 49%, favor building more nuclear power plants, compared with 47% in 1979.

“Winning public, and legislative, approval for new nuclear power plants is likely to be a tough, uphill battle. While a 49% plurality favors building new nuclear plants, and a majority thinks they are safe, a large number of people have serious concerns,” said Humphrey Taylor, chairman of The Harris Poll, a custom market research firm.

Nuclear construction has become a major issue in the presidential election as the nation looks for environmentally friendly and home-grown sources of energy. The rapidly growing Southeast is poised to become the testing ground for the industry’s proposed resurgence. Public opinion will play a major role in whether that happens. 

More than three decades have passed since a permit has been issued for new construction. SCE&G, Santee Cooper and Duke Energy all have applications pending with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for permission to build new units.

Although nuclear power emits no greenhouse gasses, the poll found that many Americans remain concerned about nuclear waste disposal and the possible escape of radioactive material. The Harris poll also indicated that nearly one in five Americans are “not at all sure” about their opinion on the topic and that older residents are more likely to support nuclear generation. 

This 30-year snapshot of public opinion on nuclear power is the first in the Harris Interactive “FlashBack” series that seeks to compare and contrast U.S. public opinion from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s with those of today on a variety of significant policy issues.