Study suggests people are in favour of wind energy in UK

New research by Ipsos MORI for RenewableUK, the trade and professional body for the UK wind and marine renewables industries, shows that 67 per cent of people are in favour of the use of wind power in the UK, with 28 per cent ‘strongly in favour’.

One in 12 (eight per cent) are opposed — with only three per cent suggesting that they are ‘strongly opposed’.

According to RenewableUK, these figures provide more evidence to show that while there is a small but vocal anti-wind energy contingent, a majority of the public support the UK’s abundant wind resources.

‘It’s clear that the majority of those surveyed are supportive of energy from wind,’ said Maria McCaffery, chief executive of RenewableUK. ‘Wind is an abundant, clean, secure and affordable energy source. It is therefore not only undemocratic to allow the vocal anti-wind minority to derail the UK’s plans for renewable energy, but also damaging to our economy, undermining investment and jobs that will help to rebuild communities across the country, and put the UK on a path to future economic prosperity.’

The findings also suggest that the majority find the appearance of wind farms to be acceptable.

Respondents were asked to rate the level of acceptability of the appearance of wind farms on the landscape on a 10-point scale, ranging from completely unacceptable (one) to completely acceptable (10).

The majority (57 per cent) gave a score of between seven and 10, with a fifth (20 per cent) suggesting that the look of wind farms was completely acceptable. At the other end of the scale, one in six (17 per cent) gave scores of between one and four. Two in 10 (22 per cent) were neutral (giving a score of five or six), with four per cent not knowing.

The poll of 1,009 adults aged between 16 and 64 across the country comes ahead of the Clean Energy Ministerial, which will see ministers from more than 20 nations come to London to discuss low-carbon energy.