Slim majority sees nuke plants as safe

WASHINGTON, April 20 (UPI) -- Only a slim majority of U.S. residents view nuclear plants as safe sources of energy and 64 percent are against building new plants, a poll has revealed.

The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll found that just 53 percent of respondents approve of nuclear power in the wake of the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.

Strong opposition to nuclear plants was indicated by 59 percent of respondents when asked whether they would support a new nuclear facility within 50 miles of their home.

The poll also revealed a strong division on nuclear power issues between men and women.

By a 20-point margin, more women than men opposed building atomic plants, the poll found.

Also, more women than men thought nuclear plants were unsafe and more women than men said they were less confident about nuclear power since the 9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The telephone poll of 1,001 adults was conducted April 14-17. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.