Australia changes its stance on nuclear power

Australians’ attitudes toward energy sources have changed significantly. The 20th annual Lowy Institute poll found that six in ten Australians now support using nuclear energy to generate electricity.

Asked, “Do you support or oppose the use of nuclear energy to generate electricity in Australia alongside other energy sources?” 61% of respondents said they were “somewhat” or “strongly” in favour. By contrast, 37% said they were opposed. Just 2% of respondents didn’t know.

This is the first time the question has been included in the poll. However, the results differ significantly from those for a similar question in the 2011 poll, when more than six in ten Australians (62%) were “strongly” or “somewhat” opposed to building nuclear power plants as part of plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Political situation and support for climate policies

Australia’s opposition has announced that, if elected, it would seek to include nuclear power in Australia’s energy mix alongside renewables and other energy sources, as part of a plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. However, this would first require the lifting of the moratorium on nuclear power generation in Australia, the report’s authors say.

The poll found “majority support” for a range of potential government climate measures. Public support fell slightly for measures such as a more ambitious national emissions-reduction target, hosting a UN climate conference, reducing coal exports, banning new coal mines and introducing an emissions trading scheme. Around six in ten Australians support reducing Australian coal exports and banning the opening of new coal mines in Australia.

Support remained stable for subsidies for renewable technologies and increased use of gas, although views on renewables differ across society. The poll found that 41% of Australians consider the current federal government’s national target of generating 82% of Australia’s electricity from renewables by 2030 to be “about right”; 33% consider the target too ambitious, while 25% say it is not ambitious enough.

Nuclear-powered submarines

For the third consecutive year, the poll also asked about public attitudes toward acquiring nuclear-powered submarines under the 2021 AUKUS trilateral agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. An intensified public debate in Australia has raised questions about the strategic benefits, the US’s future political commitment to the agreement, industrial and workforce capacity, and the costs associated with acquiring and operating nuclear-powered submarines.

The poll found that majority public support for acquiring nuclear-powered submarines remains “relatively firm”. Nearly two-thirds of Australians (65%) are in favour, only slightly down from the previous poll in 2022 (70%), shortly after the agreement was announced.

The Lowy Institute poll

The independent international policy think tank, based in Sydney, describes its annual poll as a tracker of Australian foreign policy that provides a reliable way to understand Australian attitudes to a wide range of foreign policy issues, while maintaining methodological rigour.

The poll, conducted between 4 and 17 March 2024, surveyed 2028 adults across Australia. It was carried out by the Social Research Centre using the Life in Australia panel, with a maximum margin of sampling error of 2.2%. The probability-based Life in Australia sampling method means the results can be generalised to the entire national population.

The latest report and an archive of previous editions are available on the Lowy Institute website.