Americans’ support for wind and solar power has dropped by almost 20 percentage points since President Donald Trump’s first term even as support of nuclear power grew significantly, suggesting a major shift in attitudes as the administration eyes revamping the electricity mix.
The report from the Pew Research Center on Thursday found that roughly equal percentages of Americans now support renewables and nuclear, eliminating a public opinion gap that existed five years ago. The survey also reported that a third of Americans would consider buying an electric vehicle as their next car, an amount higher than last year but 10 points lower than in 2022.
“The share of Americans who favor phasing out new gasoline cars and trucks by 2035 has fallen by 13 points since 2021,” the report said.
The findings add to challenges facing renewables and EVs as Congress weighs whether to roll back key tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act and Trump pushes to cut federal spending. The report did not detail why the public opinion shifts have occurred, but Republicans and Republican-leaning voters are driving the declining support for renewables.
