UK Public Support For Renewable Energy Remains At All-Time High

The latest Public Attitudes Tracking Survey conducted by the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy published this week reveals that public support for renewable energy remains hovering around an all time high.

This is the 21st wave of the UK Government’s Public Attitudes Tracking Survey, first conducted in March of 2012. Over that time, overall support for renewable energy has hovered around the 80% mark, starting out at 79% in March, 2012, and returning to 79% in this latest wave, conducted over 29 March to 2 April 2017, using face-to-face in-home interviews with a representative sample of 2,180 households. More specifically, 32% of respondents ‘Strongly support’ renewable energy, and an impressive 47% of people ‘Support’ it. Only 4% of respondents said they ‘Opposed’ or ‘Strongly Opposed’ it.

News of the findings was unsurprisingly heralded by the country’s renewable energy proponents, especially in light of growing concerns surrounding the future of renewable energy and climate policies moving into yet another election season, and now that the Brexit countdown has begun.

“As political parties get ready to launch their manifestos, it must surely be worth their attention that nearly 80% of the general public support renewable energy, and this remains true across all demographics,” said RenewableUK’s Executive Director, Emma Pinchbeck. “The public is well aware that home-grown renewables provide clean and affordable energy for the future, along with huge economic benefits to local communities.”

Support for individual renewable energy technologies was similarly high. Onshore wind received an overall favorability rating of 73%, while offshore wind received an even higher rating of 80%. Biomass was rated somewhat lower at 66%, but the nascent wave and tidal industry received a supportive 79%. Somewhat unsurprisingly, solar received an overwhelming favorability rating of 86%.