Republicans, Democrats, and Independents: Views on Clean Air and Climate Change
Ann Stouffer Bisconti, PhD
Bisconti Research, Inc.
June 2025
Do nuclear energy’s clean attributes continue to be powerful reasons for public support? For Democrats, concern about the effects of climate change has prompted a second look at nuclear energy. But what about Republicans? Are Republicans and Democrats polar opposites on climate change? Does information that includes mention of nuclear energy’s clean attributes shift support across parties?
The 2025 National Nuclear Energy Public Opinion Survey probed differences between Republicans, Democrats, and Independents regarding 1) the importance they give to electricity that brings clean air and a climate change solution, 2) their association of nuclear energy with clean air and climate change solution, and 3) the impact of information showing that nuclear is the most reliable clean energy.
Analysis shows that clean air continues to be a valuable but not well-known asset of nuclear energy for Americans of different political persuasions:
Clean air is a top priority for Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.
Climate change solution is a top priority for Democrats and Independents—and for a smaller majority of Republicans, smaller but a majority.
These benefits are not well known. No major political party includes a majority who associate nuclear energy a lot with either clean air or climate change solution.
Information showing nuclear energy is the most reliable clean energy is highly persuasive, regardless of political party—especially with women.
Importance of attributes. Among 8 considerations for the way electricity is produced, reliability, affordability, and clean air topped the list, with over 60% rating them extremely important. At the bottom of the list of 8, sits “climate change solution.” Even so, three-fourths of the public (73%) rated “climate change solution” extremely or very important.
Republicans (85%), Democrats (95%), and Independents (88%) agreed on the high importance of clean air as a consideration in how electricity is produced.
Political differences are observed on the importance of “climate change solution,” but they do not show that Republicans and Democrats are polar opposites: 89% of Democrats and 72% of Independents rated that climate change solution extremely or very important but so did 59% of Republicans. Among Trump voters, 58% rated climate change solution extremely or very important, and 34% rated it extremely important.
Importance of 8 Considerations for the Way Energy is Produced: Republicans (2025)
How important to you are the following considerations for the way electricity is produced? Select one answer for each item. (%)
Importance of 8 Considerations for the Way Energy is Produced: Democrats (2025)
How important to you are the following considerations for the way electricity is produced? Select one answer for each item. (%)
Importance of 8 Considerations for the Way Energy is Produced: Independents (2025)
How important to you are the following considerations for the way electricity is produced? Select one answer for each item. (%)
Importance of 8 Considerations for the Way Energy is Produced: Trump Voters (2025)
How important to you are the following considerations for the way electricity is produced? Select one answer for each item. (%)
Awareness of nuclear energy’s clean air and climate change benefits is limited. No major political party includes a majority who associate nuclear energy a lot with either clean air or climate change solution. More Republicans and Trump voters know these advantages of nuclear energy.
Percent Associate Clean Air “A Lot” With Nuclear Energy (2025) (Left Graph)
Percent Associate Climate Change Solution “A Lot” With Nuclear Energy (2025) (Right Graph)
Do you associate nuclear energy a lot, a little, or not at all with each of the following. (%)
When asked which of four clean energy sources is most reliable, only 30% selected nuclear energy. Solar was selected most.
Which is Most Reliable Clean Energy Source? (2025)
Which one of the following is the most reliable clean energy source?
Percentage Who Selected Nuclear Energy as Most Reliable Clean Energy, By Political Party (2025)
Information showing that nuclear energy is the most reliable clean energy source is surprising and changes attitudes. Reliability of energy sources can be measured by how much of the time each source is on, not off. The survey tested the impact of the following information that showed graphically that nuclear energy is on and producing electricity almost all the time—far more than the alternatives.
Information Shown to Survey Respondents
Nuclear Energy is America’s Most Reliable Clean Energy Source: Average Capacity Factors of Nuclear, Hydro, Wind, and Solar in the U.S. in 2024
Capacity factor is the percentage of electricity a power plant actually produces compared to the maximum it could produce if it ran at full power all the time. On average, the 94 U.S. nuclear power plants ran at full power at least 90% of the time every year since 2004.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
See the impact of this information with Republicans, Democrats, and Independents below.
70% of respondents found the information surprising—41% called it very surprising. Democrats were slightly more surprised than others.
How Surprising is Information that Nuclear Energy is the Most Reliable Clean Energy? (2025)
How surprising to you is this information that nuclear energy is the most reliable clean energy source?
70% of respondents found the information surprising—41% called it very surprising. Democrats were slightly more surprised than others.
How Surprising is Information that Nuclear Energy is the Most Reliable Clean Energy? (2025)
How surprising to you is this information that nuclear energy is the most reliable clean energy source?
The information increased those strongly in favor of nuclear energy from 29% to 44%--a 15-point upward shift. Those opposed to nuclear energy dropped from 28% to 15%--a 13-point downward shift, and those strongly opposed dropped from 6% to 4%.
Favorability to Nuclear Energy Before and After Information (2025)
Thinking again, do you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose the use of nuclear energy as one of the ways to provide electricity in the United States?
For respondents of all three political parties, the largest shift was to strongly favor nuclear energy.
Republicans are the most favorable to nuclear energy, and they started they survey with the most strongly favorable opinions. The information raised the percentage strongly favorable from 50% to 64% (+14) among men and from 24% to 29% (+15) among women.
Among Democrats, few women started the survey with strongly favorable attitudes toward nuclear energy, and their shift after the information was remarkable—from 10% strongly favorable to 33% strongly favorable (+23). Men began more strongly favorable than women and shifted less—from 37% strongly favorable to 49% strongly favorable (+12)
Women independents also showed a very large jump in those strongly favorable—from 11% to 31% (+20). Independent men mirrored Democratic men.
Conclusion. These findings underline the high value of communications informing the public that nuclear energy is the most reliable clean energy. That unique nuclear energy advantage is important not just to Democrats but also to Republicans, Independents, and Trump voters.
© Ann Stouffer Bisconti, 2025.