By Reagan Steele – Business & Economic Policy Writer

As California struggles with skyrocketing utility bills and the nation’s costliest fuel, a new nationwide Pew Research Center survey documents a notable decline in public support for wind and solar power and growing openness to oil and gas, nuclear, and even coal. This shift reflects growing frustration with the real-world failures of aggressive green energy mandates as the consequences in California, New York, and New England become apparent.

Conducted in March 2026, the poll shows that only 57% of Americans now believe renewable energy should be the top priority for the nation’s energy supply, a sharp decline from 79% in 2020. While Democrats remain the strongest backers, their enthusiasm has also cooled somewhat. More telling is the increasing openness to practical alternatives, including a rise in support for nuclear power among both parties.

This shift comes as the limitations of renewables-heavy policies have become impossible to ignore. States like California, which have pursued the most ambitious green agendas, now grapple with some of the nation’s highest electricity rates and persistent concerns over grid reliability. Repeated warnings of blackouts during heat waves and heavy reliance on intermittent sources have exposed the gap between environmental rhetoric and dependable power delivery. Ratepayers have borne the brunt through steadily climbing bills, even as the state continues pouring resources into subsidies and mandates.

Faced with these practical failures, even prominent Democratic leaders are beginning to change course. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, once a supporter of phasing out the state’s last nuclear plant, has engineered a major reversal. In April 2026, Newsom welcomed the federal approval of license extensions for the Diablo Canyon nuclear facility, securing its operation through at least 2030 and potentially 2045. The plant, which provides about 10% of California’s electricity, is now viewed as essential for maintaining a reliable grid and avoiding blackouts. While Sacramento once claimed California would soon run entirely on wind and solar power, it has now become clear to both parties such a plan was unrealistic.

Newsom pushed through a $1.4 billion state loan under Senate Bill 846 to keep the Pacific Gas & Electric-operated plant running, citing the need for steady baseload power that wind and solar cannot guarantee when the sun sets or the wind stops. Environmental groups have criticized the move over seismic and waste concerns, but the governor’s own actions signal that ideology is yielding to the hard realities of keeping the lights on.

Newsom is not alone among Democrats. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has moved to expand advanced nuclear development, while Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has lifted restrictions that once blocked new large-scale nuclear plants. These steps by blue-state leaders reflect a quiet but growing recognition that an “all-of-the-above” strategy, including reliable nuclear, is necessary for both economic stability and actual environmental progress.

The Pew data reinforces this emerging realism. Support for government encouragement of wind and solar has declined overall, while backing for nuclear has ticked upward on both sides of the aisle. Republicans have led the charge in questioning renewables, but the softening among Democrats suggests that experience is trumping ideology in more quarters than before.

For too long, green energy policy has been driven by aspirational targets detached from engineering and economic realities. The result has been expensive, unreliable power that burdens working families and businesses alike. As the Pew poll demonstrates, and as leaders like Newsom are now tacitly acknowledging, Americans across the political spectrum are demanding energy policies grounded in common sense rather than utopian promises.