Missouri Seeks to Become Global Producer of Small Nuclear Reactors

[GliderGuider]

8. Poll vs. Poll

Citizens across world oppose nuclear power, poll finds

A new opinion poll from Ipsos MORI tells us: 62% of citizens in 24 countries across the world oppose the use of nuclear energy, with a quarter of those having changed their minds after the Fukushima disaster.

So what stands out? The most anti-nuclear nations in the poll, at about 80% against, were Italy, Germany and Mexico. Only three of the 24 countries had majorities that favoured nuclear power: India (61%), Poland (57%) and the US (52%). The UK and Sweden were split 50-50 within the uncertainty cited.

In France, where most of the electricity is produced by nuclear, 67% opposed it, the same percentage as in coal-rich Australia. Perhaps surprisingly, 42% of people in Japan, still recovering from the huge tremor that wrecked the Fukushima nuclear plant, remain supportive of nuclear power.

The pollsters also asked whether people opposed other ways of generating electricity. With 62% against, nuclear was the least popular, followed by coal (52% against), gas (20%), hydroelectricity (9%), wind power (7%) and solar power (3%).

It's worth keeping in mind that it's not the middle-of-the-road opponents who cause nuclear plans to be cancelled. It's the hard-core opponents, out a couple of sigmas from the mean. Any increase in either the number or dedication of those opponents presents a powerful challenge to the trans-national corporatist agenda for nuclear power. That 25% number I bolded above hints that this is what is happening.