Americans continue to prefer clean energy over fossil fuels, despite a recent surge in support for fossil fuels among Republicans; public support for nuclear energy is at a near-record high. By a 17-point margin, Americans say that the U.S. should emphasize the development of alternative energy such as wind and solar power to solve the nation’s energy problems (56%) rather than the production of more oil, gas and coal supplies (39%). Republican support for fossil fuels has reached a new high, positioning them far away from the center of the electorate on the issue. The dip in Americans’ preference for clean energy is driven by Republicans, 79% of whom now say that the U.S. should prioritize fossil fuels–a record high in Gallup’s tracking. This is likely a case of rank-and-file Republican voters following Trump’s lead as he has become more aggressive in expanding oil and gas production. By contrast, 92% of Democrats say that the country should prioritize clean energy sources. Independents also favor clean energy over fossil fuels by a wide margin (61% clean energy / 32% fossil fuels), leaving Republicans far apart from the rest of the country in their energy preferences.