Voters split on party lines on nuclear power with one-third ‘on the fence’

Research finds nuclear power is supported by 37 per cent by Australia, but one-third are still sitting on the fence.

An aerial view of the proposed site, under a Coalition plan, of a nuclear power station in Port Augusta. Picture: Getty Images

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More than one-third of Australians think nuclear power would be good for the nation, but 30 per cent are still sitting on the fence, according to a report from pollsters DemosAU, which also shows attitudes are heavily determined by political party allegiances.

The survey of 3275 voters found that while the most pro-nuclear electorates are held by the Coalition, support for nuclear does not reach 50 per cent in any federal electorate.

At the same time the opposition to nuclear reaches 50 per cent in only one seat – the Tasmanian seat of Clark held by independent MP Andrew Wilkie.

The survey, from December 5, 2024, to February 18, found 37 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement that nuclear power would be good for Australia, compared with 33 per cent who disagreed and 30 per cent who ticked the “neutral” box.

Support was strongest in NSW, Victoria and South Australia, and weakest in Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia.

Gender was the strongest point of division, with 49 per cent of men agreeing compared with 26 per cent of women but there is less difference in attitudes when filtered through age, income, location, education or states.

DemosAU asked similar questions between July and November 2024 and found a “modest shift” against nuclear, with support dropping one point nationally and opposition increasing three points. And with three out of 10 voters remaining neutral, the report says the debate, that began in the middle of 2024 with the Coalition’s scheme for nuclear power, has not swayed voters much either way.

While more people back nuclear than oppose it, the poll revealed less support when respondents were asked about the safety of nuclear energy, disposing of nuclear waste, and location of plants.

Fifty-five per cent said safety of plants was a concern, 24 per cent were neutral and 21 per cent disagreed. There is little variation across age groups but there was a relatively high level of concern among the 45-54 year olds, with 62 per cent of people saying they were worried about safety.

Asked their view on whether “transporting and storing nuclear waste isn’t worth the risk” 62 per cent of Labor voters agreed, compared to 28 per cent of Coalition voters. Overall 47 per cent of respondents agreed it wasn’t worth the risk while 29 per cent were neutral and 24 per cent disagreed. There was some variation in age – 51 per cent of 18-24 year olds believed the risk wasn’t “worth it” compared with 44 per cent of people aged 54 and over.

When asked if they would be happy to have a nuclear plant located near them, 26 per cent said yes, 22 per cent were neutral and 52 per cent were against. Women were most concerned (62 per cent) compared with 42 per cent of men, and 65 per cent of Labor voters were unhappy compared to 32 per cent of Coalition voters.

The debate over the costs of nuclear versus renewables was also revealed to be on party lines. While 42 per cent believed renewables would deliver cheaper electricity than would nuclear, only 28 per cent of Coalition voters agreed. The support for that statement was much higher – 53 per cent – among Labor voters.

Asked whether nuclear power would deliver cheaper electricity, 38 per cent agreed, but Coalition support was much higher at 57 per cent.

As to whether nuclear will happen, 42 per cent thought it was unlikely a nuclear power plant would be built in Australia in the next few decades, with 23 per cent believing the opposite.

A seat-by-seat breakdown of the “net agree” score – the difference between agree and disagree percentages – found that the highest margin of voter preference for nuclear was 19 per cent in the Coalition seat of Barker, based around Mount Gambier in SA.

Twenty-four seats had margins in support of nuclear of between 17 per cent and 11 per cent, 33 seats had margins of between 10 per cent and 5 per cent, and 48 seats had margins between 5 per cent and zero. Another 45 seats had margins opposing nuclear or with a neutral score. Nine of those seats had margins of between minus 10 per cent and minus 26 per cent.

Among the most pro-nuclear seats in the country after Barker are Gippsland, Cook, Mitchell, Berowra, Farrer, Grey, Mallee, Calare and New England, all of which have more than 42 per cent of people backing nuclear.

The most antinuclear seats after Clark include Franklin, Lyons, Bass, Braddon, Fremantle, Perth, Lilley, Griffith and Kennedy, all of which have more than 40 per cent opposing nuclear.

The DemosAU research was initiated by the company, that is, it was not done for a client. But the research last year was carried out for the Australian Conservation Foundation.