UK govt survey shows continued high public support for renewables

Renewable energy continues to enjoy high support among the British public, according to the Department of Energy and Climate Change's (DECC) public attitudes tracking survey, released on Tuesday.

A total of 75% of respondents in the latest quarterly poll support the use of renewables, in line with the backing seen during the tracker which has fluctuated around 75%-82%. In the previous survey support was 78%. The latest poll questioned 2,118 UK households in the period between 24 and 28 June 2015.

At 24%, however, the percentage of people that strongly support renewables is the lowest since the start of the survey in March 2012. Renewable energy is opposed by only 4% of respondents, with just 1% strongly opposed.

The latest survey did no gather data on support about individual renewable energy technologies.

The data, meanwhile, showed that only 21% support extracting shale gas and 33% support the use of nuclear energy, both figures being the lowest so far in the tracker.

Greenpeace UK used the findings to criticise the government. "The government's own survey shows ministers' priorities on energy are at the polar opposite of what the British public wants. Popular technologies like wind and solar are having their support axed, whilst the more unpopular than ever fracking industry keeps getting preferential treatment," its head of energy Daisy Sands said.

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