| Nuclear energy has become increasingly popular as an alternative to fossil fuels. In this study, Iexamine public support for nuclear energy across the United States relative tothe geographic proximities of stakeholdersto nuclear power facilities. Iseek to determine whether proximity to nuclear power sources is associated with the public's perception of nuclear power. Theoretically, this project will enable me to determine how proximity influences the public’s perception of nuclear power. Practically, this relationship could help inform decision makers about where support or resistance to nuclear energy may be concentrated to allow more targeted efforts to inform citizens about the safety features and benefits of this energy source. Iutilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to quantify the distances between survey respondents and various nuclear power sites, and present two modelsanalyzinghow proximity to nuclear power sources affects people’sopinions about nuclear energy. The analyses reveal that proximity is not a predictor of support for increasingnuclear power in general but does predict support for expanding nuclear energy production over the next quarter-century. The ramifications of these findings are thendiscussed.KeyWords:Nuclear energy, nuclear power, proximities, perception, zip codes, geographic boundaries, distances, respondents, nuclear power sites, nuclear energy production, attitudes, demographics, knowledge, risk, policy support |