Green Economy - Public and MP polling shows:
- Majority of MPs and the public believe climate change should be at the top of the Government's agenda
- 60% of the public has not heard of the COP26 climate summit and MPs do not believe the public are familiar with the Government's flagship 'Ten Point Plan'
- Public are split on whether measures to combat climate change will have a positive or negative impact on their household finances
LONDON, April 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- New polling by Yonder on behalf of communications advisors Cavendish Advocacy, has shown that the majority of the public (58%) and MPs (51%) believe that tackling the climate crisis should be top of the Government agenda (irrespective of the Covid-19 pandemic). However, a third of the public (33%) believe it will have a negative impact on their household finances. There is also a significant lack of awareness about key elements of the Government's sustainability push.
Measures to combat climate change
The public are open to the idea of adapting to combat climate change. The most popular measures are:
- 56% of the public would consider switching to a renewable energy provider
- 53% would install better insulation
- 45% would consider cutting down on air travel
However, more costly changes were less popular, with more people saying they would not:
- Install solar panels on their home (42% would not vs 33% would)
- Upgrade their heating system to a heat pump or hydrogen (35% would not vs 31% would)
- Buy an electric vehicle (37% would not vs 34% would).
Household finances
- 35% of the public believe that taking steps to reduce their carbon emissions will benefit their household finances - particularly those who are younger or more affluent.
- 33% of the public believe that taking steps to reduce their carbon emissions will have a negative impact on their household finances - particularly older and less affluent people.
Awareness of COP 26 and Government agenda is low
- 60% of the public has never heard of the Government's flagship COP26 climate summit and a further 13% have only heard the name.
- 52% of MPs do not believe that the public is familiar with the Government's 10-Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, launched by the Prime Minister last November
MPs - Main challenges to realising the Government's ten-point plan for a Green Industrial revolution
The top three challenges to the Government achieving its ten-point plan identified by MPs are:
- 31% of MPs identified tackling the decarbonisation of existing homes and buildings as being the main challenge
- 21% of MPs believe it is the shift to zero emission vehicles
- 13% of MPs believe it is accelerating the transition to more active and sustainable transport.
Commenting on the findings, Cavendish Advocacy's Director James Bird said:
"The public clearly backs the Government's ambition to lead the global fight against climate change but seem less sure about implementing measures which have substantial cost implications, like switching to electric vehicles or upgrading their heating system.
"These are potentially a big financial outlay for households but happen to be the measures which MPs quite rightly recognise as being crucial to the success of the Government's ten-point plan. At a time when the Government is ramping-up its climate change ambitions, it's evident more needs to be done to raise public awareness of the measures and behaviour changes needed to meet net zero."
Andrew Barnett OBE, Director of Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, an international foundation focussing on public engagement in the climate agenda, said:
"These findings bear out the need for action to match aspiration. Intensive public engagement is the key that will unlock public hesitancy to makes changes that reduce our carbon emissions. It will encourage us all to accept and adapt - with changes that are bottom-up, community by community - strengthening the mandate of government to act top-down by setting targets and working with others at local and international level."
Further information about this polling can be found at: cavendishadvocacy.com/greeneconomy
All polling was carried out in March-April 2021 by Yonder Consulting on behalf of Cavendish Advocacy. The sample base was:
- 2,115 members of the public, weighted to be nationally representative of the UK population
- 79 MPs, weighted to be representative of the House of Commons
