The U.S. public displays more positive than negative sentiment toward nuclear energy but concerns remain about waste, cost and safety, according to an analysis of 300,000 posts on X (formerly Twitter) by University of Michigan researchers.

The study was recently published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.

Identifying public concerns and misconceptions about nuclear energy can target efforts to bridge these gaps as nuclear energy will play a large role in goals to decarbonize by 2050, replacing oil and gas as a stable baseload electricity source.

"Understanding and addressing how the public feels about nuclear energy is essential for a just transition to clean energy," said Majdi Radaideh, U-M assistant professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences and corresponding author of the study.

While surveys can gather detailed information from specific locations—such as community attitudes near a proposed nuclear facility—social media data vastly expands sample size while cutting costs and time.

Using an extensive list of keywords related to nuclear energy topics, the researchers compiled 1.26 million X posts from 2008 to 2023 and leveraged large language models, or LLMs, to annotate posts as positive, negative or neutral and summarize text.

Of the 300,000 nuclear energy posts geotagged to the U.S., neutral sentiments—those that present facts without advocating for or against the use of nuclear technology—were the most common at about 50%, followed by posts with a positive tone at 30% and a negative tone at roughly 23%. When breaking down the ratio of positive to negative posts by state, 48 of 50 states displayed more positive sentiment with the national average at 54% positive.

Technology themes fueled positive sentiment, with users citing innovations as making nuclear energy safer, more reliable and economical, noting nuclear power's high energy density and ability to operate reliably 24/7. Positive posts also highlighted job creation and the necessity of transitioning to clean energy production.

Waste, cost and safety hazards dominated negative sentiment themes. Users expressed concern about how radioactive waste will be handled, noting that waste remains dangerous for thousands of years and creates challenges in disposal.

"These valid concerns stress that entities establishing nuclear energy systems must be transparent with local communities about safe nuclear waste storage and recycling to avoid continued public mistrust," Radaideh said.

More information: O. Hwang Kwon et al, Sentiment analysis of the United States public support of nuclear power on social media using large language models, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2024.114570