• A Pew Research Center survey found significant divisions between political parties on energy issues, with Democrats favoring renewables, while Republicans support fossil fuels and nuclear power.
• The political party divide is smallest on nuclear energy, with about two-thirds of Republicans and half of Democrats supporting its expansion.
• The party divide is reflected in the energy policies of the 2024 presidential candidates. Trump focuses on energy independence and fossil fuels, while Harris advocates a transition to clean energy.

Energy and climate issues have long been a point of division in American politics, Democrats generally believe in investing in renewable energy sources, while Republicans favor a broader expansion of energy production, including the use of fossil fuels and nuclear power.

This visualization, via Kayla Zhu of Visual Capitalist, shows the share of American adults who are both Democratic (and Democratic-leaning) and Republican (and Republican-leaning) and who favor expanding various energy sources in the United States.

The figures come from a Pew Research Center survey of more than 8,500 US adults, conducted in May 2024.

Which energy sources do Democrats and Republicans support?

Nuclear energy has the smallest partisan divide of any energy source (18 percentage points). About two-thirds of Republicans support expanding nuclear energy, compared to about half of Democrats.

In total, 56% of American adults surveyed support expanding nuclear power in America.

Democrats are much more supportive of expanding renewable energy sources like solar and wind than Republicans, while Republicans are more supportive of fossil fuels like oil and coal.

The gap between the parties is widest on coal mining, at 48 percentage points. Only 16% of Democrats favor expanding coal mining, compared to 64% of Republicans.

Energy Policies of US Presidential Candidates for 2024

This energy divide is reflected in the 2024 presidential candidates’ positions on energy policy, which largely fall along party lines.

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump has promised to enact a law fast approvals for nuclear power plants, with an emphasis on energy independence and stopping energy-based inflation through increased use of fossil fuels.

Democratic candidate and current Vice President Kamala Harris is historically a strong supporter of the clean energy transition and was one of the first co-initiators of the Green New Deal when she was a senator.

By Zerohedge.com

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