The overwhelming majority in the UK see the benefits of net zero
New polling commissioned by Good Energy ahead of the King’s Speech shows support across the board for positive climate policy
Today Good Energy is revealing research which shows widespread support for positive climate policy with Brits seeing the benefits of cutting the country’s carbon emissions.
The survey of 2,000 UK residents, conducted by market researchers Opinium behalf of Good Energy*, showed that 58% agree that reaching net zero will be beneficial for the country, with only a small minority of 13% disagreeing.
The findings run counter to the emerging narrative that there is backlash against green policy. And come in the wake of the Prime Minister’s 20 September speech on climate goals and initiatives, which used the word ‘cost’ 12 times and ‘opportunity’ or ‘opportunities’ just three times, whilst ‘burden’ was used four times and ‘benefit’ not at all.
The survey asked respondents how they heat their homes and whether they would consider switching to a heat pump. The findings showed that the highest proportions for consideration were among those who currently have oil and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) boilers, the majority of whom would consider a heat pump at 53% and 75% respectively. This follows the PM’s announcement regarding delaying the ban of new oil and LPG boilers to 2035.
Looking at specific policy areas, the research showed clear support for some widely discussed net zero policies, including –
- All new homes should have solar panels, 67% agree and 10% disagree
- The UK should aim to make its electricity system fully low carbon by 2030, 58% agree and 14% disagree
- Communities which agree to have big energy infrastructure like batteries or wind farms should be rewarded with lower cost energy, 71% agree and 6% disagree
- The UK should have a national energy company to build big renewable power stations, 68% agree and 7% disagree
The country’s faith in our current climate leadership was less positive, as a majority of 54% agreed that the UK is not moving fast enough on its climate goals, compared to just 15% who disagreed. A minority of 23% agreed that the PM is a strong leader on climate, where 42% disagreed.
Support for climate policy appears to be universal. Agreement that reaching net zero will be beneficial for the UK spans across different ages — 58% for 18-34 year olds, 60% for those 35-54 and 56% among over 55s. Over 55s are the most likely group to agree that new homes should have solar panels, at 71%, whereas 18 to 34 year olds are most likely to want the UK to achieve fully low carbon electricity by 2030 at 64%.
Good Energy’s CEO, Nigel Pocklington, said:
“Contrary to what you might hear from some corners of Westminster recently, combatting climate change is an opportunity for the country — and the people of the UK know it.
“From the broad benefits of net zero to specifics around solar power and community energy, people of all ages all around the country are supportive of our climate goals.
“Businesses know this too, and Good Energy is taking the lead in helping people cut their own carbon. In the run up to the UN’s COP28 climate conference, we want to see the entire UK maintain its leadership on the global stage.”
*2000 UK adults surveyed between 17-20 October 2023 by Opinium, sample weighted to be nationally representative.
