The latest data from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has revealed strong support for renewable energy use across the UK.
DESNZ’s Public Attitudes Tracker (PAT) annually surveys public awareness, attitudes and behaviors relating to DESNZ policies, and tracks the changing results. The summer 2024 survey, which was conducted between July and August of this year, has shown a slight increase in optimism, with 20% of the public saying that they were fairly or very confident in the UK’s ability to hit its Net Zero target, up from 17% in summer 2023. The vast majority of the nation has good awareness of DESNZ policies, with 91% of respondents stating that they were aware of the 2050 net zero target.
Support for renewable energy use remains high, with 84% saying they support the use of renewable energy to provide electricity, fuel and heat. While this is a positive result, it is still slightly below the peak of 88% seen in autumn 2022. Support for renewables was highest in the south east of England, where 57% are supportive of renewable energy, and London, with 56%. The Midlands saw the lowest levels of support, with only 41% of respondents in the West Midlands expressing support, and the East Midlands having a 40% support rate.
The awareness of the need for energy network infrastructure has risen since last year, with 79% of people being aware of the need to build more electricity network infrastructure, up from 75% in summer 2023. However, only 7% of respondents reported knowing a lot about the issue, with no improvement in this since summer 2023.
Despite growing awareness of the need for more electricity infrastructure, many are not supportive of having it in their local area. Respondents were more likely to be unhappy (30%) than happy (23%) about new electricity infrastructure being built in the area, although most respondents gave a neutral (34%) or “don’t know” (13%) response. Concerns cited include impacts on the view (61%), local wildlife (58%), and health (45%).
The majority of the nation has an awareness of the need for changes in home heating to hit net zero targets, with 88% stating they were aware of this, and another 88% aware of low-carbon heating systems such as air source heat pumps. Seven in ten said they had made a large or small change to their home to reduce energy use, with 67% of these citing energy prices as a reason.