Almost two-thirds of Australians believe nuclear power should be part of the nation's energy future, as new polling reveals growing concerns about Australia's ability to meet its electricity needs.
New YouGov research commissioned by lobby group Nuclear for Australia has found that 63% of Australians believe nuclear power should be considered, while 60% believe it will form part of Australia’s future energy mix.
The findings come as both the demand for and cost of electricity grows, driven by AI, data centres and electrification, while the conflict in the Middle East contributes to uncertainty in global energy markets.
A key finding from the poll of 1,550 Australian voters, undertaken 6-12 October 2026, shows that 56% support removing Australia’s legislative restrictions to allow nuclear energy to be considered.
Nuclear for Australia Founder Will Shackel said the results highlighted the need for a mature, fact-based national conversation about Australia's energy future.
“This polling overwhelmingly shows that Australians want all energy options on the table, including nuclear,” Shackel said.
“Almost two-thirds of Australians believe nuclear energy deserves to be considered, yet federal legislative bans prevent us from even having that conversation.”
“More than half of Australians are not confident our existing energy options will be enough to meet growing electricity demand. That should be a wake-up call for policymakers.”
Nuclear is banned in Australia and any nuclear industry would need to be built almost from scratch, although the country does haven uranium mines and a research reactor at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (Ansto) site near Sydney.
