Worries over the affordability of energy have taken centre stage among 89% of Britons.
That’s according to recent polling data from Hanbury Strategy and Stack Data Strategy, which suggests almost 87% of Britons have expressed apprehensions about the nation’s reliance on energy sourced from overseas.
The survey, involving 1,550 adults, also shows that while 42% of the British public favours the construction of a nuclear power plant, a contrasting 26% expresses opposition.
Interestingly, this balance shifts significantly when the proposed construction site aligns with the respondents’ local vicinity – in such cases, support diminishes to 35%, while opposition rises to 34%.
The impact was even more noticeable in the South of England – when participants were informed that a nuclear power plant would be constructed in their vicinity, support for the project dropped by almost 25 percentage points.
Ameet Gill, Partner at Hanbury Strategy, said: “Energy security and net zero are both firmly planted priorities for the government and public but the evidence is that NIMBYism risks stifling the vast scale of infrastructure investment required. Businesses working to meet the Government’s energy security ambitions face a stiff challenge getting to grips with the values of their audiences.
“How organisations navigate public support can help or hinder the fortunes of their investments. For the UK to be successful in achieving energy security, the gap between the needs and wants needs to be closed.
“That starts with understanding public opinion and connecting to their values, and ends with demonstrating impact on bread and butter issues beyond the core business.”
