Levels of Support For Nuclear Energy in Hungary Revealed in New Survey

  • 8 Mar 2023 6:10 AM
  • Hungary Matters
Levels of Support For Nuclear Energy in Hungary Revealed in New Survey
The majority of Hungarians, 66%, support the use of nuclear energy as a way to provide safe and uninterrupted energy for households, up from 53% in 2020, according to a survey conducted by Társadalomkutató published in the daily Magyar Nemzet.

Comparing the results of the 2023 survey to one conducted in 2020, Társadalomkutató said Hungarians’ original support for nuclear energy strengthened over time, probably due to the war in Ukraine and the subsequent energy crisis.

In 2020, 53% of respondents supported increasing the role of nuclear plants in Hungary’s energy mix, while that ratio was 62% in 2023, the pollster said. Some 40% of respondents see nuclear energy as key in safe energy supplies in 20-50 years, Társadalomkutató said.

Regarding their effect on the environment, 43% of respondents said “weather-dependent sustainable energy” was the least damaging, while 23% named nuclear energy as the cleanest.

At the same time, 70% (up from 61% in 2020) said the Paks nuclear plant produced the cheapest energy in the country, while 59% (up from 50%) said nuclear plants were generally the cheapest energy producers. In 2020, 64% were aware that there was a nuclear plant operating in Hungary.

That number went up to 70% by 2023, Társadalomkutató said. Fully 62% also supports the construction of new blocks, up from 51% in 2020, it said.

Fully 57% of respondents agreed that they should be built “using cutting-edge Russian technology,” against 53% in 2020, it said.


MTI Photo: Tamás Sóki

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