In Germany, a poll by YouGov and Sinus-Institut shows that 53 per cent of respondents believe it was wrong to phase out nuclear power, while 40 per cent believe it was right. 32 per cent strongly disagreed with the decision, reports Die Welt.

Although more than half of respondents believe the decision was wrong, not all of them want it back at some point in the future:

For 39 per cent of respondents, nuclear power is a form of power generation that Germany should make use of in the future.

That is fewer than those who envisage an important role for renewable energy sources: 62 per cent believe that solar power should be part of the energy mix. For wind power, the corresponding share is 60 per cent, and for hydropower 50 per cent.

35 per cent mention biomass or biogas. Fossil energy sources are relatively far behind: natural gas accounts for 21 per cent, while coal and oil account for 9 per cent each.

Between 75 per cent and 80 per cent of Germany’s total energy consumption is currently covered by coal, oil, and gas. Nevertheless, the greater part of public opinion still appears to have the goal of Energiewende firmly in view.

On the right-hand side of German politics, there are several who want nuclear power back:

In the black-red coalition, a debate about nuclear power flared up last week. The leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Jens Spahn (CDU), had publicly shown himself open to a discussion about resuming operations at German nuclear power plants.

Germany decided to phase out nuclear power after the Fukushima accident in Japan in 2011. The phase-out was originally set for 31 December 2022, but was postponed by a few months because of the war in Ukraine.