Entergy Funded Poll Showcases Nuclear Energy's Clean Air Benefits

A national telephone survey of 801 women 18 years or older and a separate national web survey of 455 women business owners were commissioned by two nonprofit groups - Women Impacting Public Policy and the Women's Council on Energy and the Environment.

The polls were conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, the international public opinion research and consulting firm between May 4 and 18, 2009. They were underwritten by an educational grant from Entergy Nuclear, which operates 12 nuclear power reactors at 10 sites in the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest and Texas.

Interviewers found that women are concerned about the health effects of air pollution - 70 percent of those surveyed are very or somewhat worried about its impact on their own health and the health of their children.

The survey uncovered an attitude of relevance to the sponsor, Entergy Nuclear. Most respondents said they know that burning coal causes air pollution, but "54 percent of those surveyed mistakenly believe nuclear energy releases a lot or some air pollution," according to a statement of the survey results issued by the commissioning groups.

"Women have a huge stake in our nation's energy future and can play a vital role in moving our country toward clean sources of electricity, such as wind, solar and nuclear, that do not pollute the air we breathe or contribute to global warming," said Barbara Kasoff, president of Women Impacting Public Policy.

Power plants are the main sources of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, more than cars and trucks or any other source.

However, only seven percent of the women polled are aware of this. Thirty-one percent say they do not know the largest cause of global warming, and 24 percent say cars and trucks are to blame.

Entergy Nuclear's Indian Point nuclear power plant on the Hudson River at Buchanan, New York. (Photo courtesy New York DEC)

The pollsters found that 67 percent of respondents correctly identified coal power plants as a big cause or somewhat of a cause of global warming, but 54 percent think the same thing about nuclear energy, the survey found.

In fact, nuclear power plants emit no greenhouse gases, although mining, refining and transport of the uranium to fuel them does produce some emissions.

"Most women can't imagine a day without flipping on a light, powering up a computer or charging a cell phone, but they rarely think about where that electricity comes from or how it affects the world around us," said Sharla Artz, president of Women's Council on Energy and the Environment. "Women have a tremendous opportunity to help solve this defining issue of our time, and it all starts with learning more about how electricity is produced and which sources are clean."

The telephone survey found that virtually all women (97 percent) are conserving electricity by lowering thermostats; turning off lights and appliances when not in use; purchasing energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs; keeping their homes cooler in winter; and installing energy-efficient appliances, doors, windows, or insulation.

The women surveyed are enthusiastic about solar and wind energy - 90 percent and 89 percent, respectively, think these energy sources should play a very or somewhat important role in the U.S. energy future.

Forty-three percent of respondents said moving to clean energy is a more important goal than reliability or affordability of electricity. More than half (57%) are willing to pay $30 more per month for clean energy.

The web survey of 455 women business owners found that this group is even more committed to clean energy than the women polled by phone.

"They are also more aware of nuclear energy's clean-air benefits — that it is not a cause of global warming and releases no air pollution — than women as a whole, and they are more supportive of nuclear energy than the general female population," according to a statement of the survey results issued by the commissioning groups.

This survey found that 77 percent of female business owners have cut their electricity use at their businesses in the past few years, and 98 percent have done the same at home.

And 87 percent favor federal tax incentives to encourage companies to become more energy-efficient and use more clean energy.

Clare Piercy, executive director of the Women's Council on Energy and the Environment, said, "Women have the right to expect the air we breathe to be clean. With respiratory health problems on the rise, women are looking for solutions that include clean energy sources to make our planet healthier for all of us."

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2009. All rights reserved.