The public perspective on renewable energy versus nuclear power for carbon neutrality in South Korea

South Korea has legislated "2050 carbon neutrality" in 2021 and is currently implementing it, and debate is brewing over which to focus on as the main means of achieving it in the power generation sector: renewable energy (RE) or nuclear power (NP). This article aims to collect and analyze data on the public preference for RE versus NP. In a national survey of 1000 people, respondents were first asked which was preferred, RE or NP, and then asked to indicate the preference intensity along a 5-point scale. Of all the respondents, 60.3% preferred RE and 27.7% preferred NP. The preference for the former was about 2.2 times more than that for the latter. However, the intensity of the preference for NP was 1.3 times more than that for RE. Both the two-limit Tobit model and ordered probit model have been applied to analyzing the factors influencing the preference. The effects of some variables on the preference for RE over NP are explained, and implications from this are discussed. The findings can be used as a reference to determine the main means of implementation of carbon neutrality or to increase the public acceptance of the specified means.