Gallup: Support for nuclear energy on the rise

The number of Americans that support nuclear energy is on the rise, according to a new Gallup poll.

Nearly six in 10 respondents in the survey now favor nuclear energy as a way to provide electricity and more than a quarter strongly favor it. Gallup notes that until this survey, support for nuclear energy had consistently hovered around the mid 50s.



There also appears to be a significant divide between men and women. More than seven in 10 men support nuclear energy, while less than half of women back it. Both men and women support using nuclear energy more now than in previous surveys, though.

There is an almost identical partisan divide. See the chart below.



On the campaign trail, President Obama said that nuclear energy would be part of his comprehensive plan to wean the country off foreign oil. His Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), also backed using nuclear energy and was often more forceful in backing the idea.

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