Cavendish Advocacy: A Third Of The Public Believes That Efforts To Reduce Carbon Emissions Will Harm Their Personal Finances!

Public and MP polling on the green economy reveals: discount

Climate change should be at the top of the government's agenda, according to the majority of MPs and the general population.

The COP26 climate meeting is unknown to 60% of the public, and MPs believe the public is unaware of the government's centerpiece 'Ten Point Plan.'

The public is divided on whether climate change mitigation measures will have a favorable or negative impact on their household finances.

/PRNewswire/ — LONDON, April 29, 2021 — According to new research conducted by Yonder on behalf of communications consultants Cavendish Advocacy, the majority of the public (58%) and MPs (51%) feel that addressing the climate problem should be at the top of the government's agenda (irrespective of the Covid-19 pandemic). However, a third of the people (33%) believes it will harm their household budget. There is also a considerable lack of understanding of important aspects of the government's sustainability initiative.

Climate change mitigation measures

The public is receptive to the idea of climate change adaptation. The following are the most widely used metrics:

- 56% of people are considering switching to a renewable energy source.

- 53% say they'd improve their insulation.

- 45% would consider reducing their flight trips.

More expensive modifications, on the other hand, were less popular, with more individuals indicating they would not:

- Have solar panels installed on their home (42 percent would not vs 33 percent would)

- Install a heat pump or hydrogen fuel cell in their heating system (35 percent would not vs 31 percent would)

- Invest in an electric automobile (37 percent would not vs 34 percent would).

Finances in the home

- 35% of people feel that reducing carbon emissions will help their household finances, especially those who are younger or more affluent.

- 33% of the public, particularly older and less affluent people, feel that reducing carbon emissions will have a negative impact on their household budget.

The public is unaware of COP 26 and the government's agenda.

- 60% of people had never heard of the government's centerpiece COP26 climate meeting, while another 13% have only heard the term.

- 52 percent of MPs say the public is unaware of the Government's 10-Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, which was unveiled by Prime Minister David Cameron in November.

MPs - The Government's ten-point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution faces major obstacles

MPs have selected the following as the top three obstacles to the government accomplishing its ten-point plan:

- The major difficulty, according to 31% of MPs, is confronting the decarbonisation of existing homes and structures.

- According to 21% of MPs, it is the transition to zero-emission automobiles.

- It is accelerating the move to more active and sustainable transportation, according to 13% of MPs.

Cavendish Advocacy's Director James Bird commented on the findings:

"The public definitely supports the government's desire to lead the global fight against climate change, but they are less certain about putting in place measures with significant financial implications, such as converting to electric vehicles or updating their heating system."

"These are potentially large financial outlays for households, but they are the measures that MPs rightly recognize as critical to the Government's ten-point plan's success." At a time when the government is stepping up its climate change aspirations, it's clear that more needs to be done to enhance public knowledge of the actions and behavior changes required to achieve net zero emissions."

Calouste Gulbenkian Charity Director Andrew Barnett OBE said: "The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is an international foundation focused on public engagement in the climate challenge."

"These findings support the notion that aspiration must be matched by action. Intensive public participation is the key to overcoming public apprehension about making changes that will reduce carbon emissions. It would encourage us all to accept and adapt – with bottom-up, community-by-community adjustments – while enhancing the government's mandate to act top-down by defining targets and collaborating with others on a local and international level."

Visit cavendishadvocacy.com/greeneconomy for more details on this poll.

Yonder Consulting conducted the polls on behalf of Cavendish Advocacy in March-April 2021. The following was the sample base:

2,115 people from the general public, weighted to be representative of the entire UK population

79 Members of Parliament, weighted to reflect the House of Commons