The Department of Energy and Climate Change has published an update of its Public Attitudes Tracker, showing that 77 percent of people support the use of renewable energy to provide electricity, and only 4 percent oppose renewables.
Developing offshore wind as a source of renewable energy enjoys 73 percent public support. Wave and tidal also scores highly at 72 percent. Two-thirds of those questioned (66 percent) support the development of onshore wind.
Maria McCaffery, chief executive of RenewableUK, said: “A whole series of independent opinion polls has proved time and time again in the last few months that the public has an enormous appetite for the development of renewable energy. The Government’s official poll is the latest piece of good news in a very large jigsaw – and it will serve to boost confidence in our sector even higher. The proof is consistent and overwhelming – wind, wave and tidal power is being seen by the vast majority of the public as the way we will generate increasing amounts of clean energy from secure home grown sources.”
The survey of 2,100 people was carried out for DECC in June and July. The Tracker was first launched in March, and this is the first update. The poll will be carried out four times a year.