Opinium poll finds four-fifths back green growth

Commissioned by RenewableUK, the weighted poll surveyed 5,149 people from across the UK between September 8-20. Exactly three-quarters of respondents (75 per cent) said they would see any failure to secure investment in renewable energy - including factories to manufacture green tech such as wind turbine components - as a missed opportunity for the UK. Among Conservative to Labour swing voters, this rises to 83 per cent.

“New green industries like offshore wind are bringing tens of thousands of new jobs and billions of pounds of investment to communities across the UK, as well as low cost clean power,” said Nathan Bennett, RenewableUK’s director of Strategic Communications. “This polling shows not only that there is a wealth of public support for new incentives to secure renewable energy projects and manufacturing, but that people be would disappointed if we fail to secure these investments.”

The findings come at a time when the UK is being accused of reneging on its environmental commitments, with the Prime Minister recently pushing back deadlines for phasing out ICE vehicles and gas boiler sales. The announcements received criticism from many within the car industry, which cited the lack of certainty from government as a detrimental factor for investment and consumer confidence.