POLL: UK public detached from net zero goals

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To turn general support for net zero into individuals taking the necessary actions (like switching over to heat pumps), the Labour government will have to engage in a comprehensive public engagement strategy, SMF said.

The SMF report comes at a time when many governments have been struggling to effectively engage with the public on aspects of the green transition. One stark example is in Germany last year, where new legislation aimed to enable the shift away from fossil fuel boilers was met with fierce criticism and protests. The German government’s popularity fell to record lows as a result. The lack of a proactive and trusted public engagement communications strategy was seen as having wrecked the heating transition, and severely damaged public opinion on the matter, the SMF noted.

In the SMF’s survey, two-thirds (63 per cent) of respondents believed that ‘reaching net zero by 2050 is a nice idea but it will be too difficult to achieve’. Many feel detached from the actions needed to make the transition a success. Nearly half (48 per cent) felt that the transition is happening to them, not with them. In focus groups with homeowners, participants further expressed that they “don't feel as if [they’ve] had any involvement whatsoever”. A similar proportion (45 per cent) think that government has not done a good enough job to engage the public on the topic of the net zero transition so far.

The sense of lack of involvement has kept trust in crucial technologies like heat pumps at low levels, leaving the UK reliant on its largely gas-powered heating approach. Despite heat pumps being long-established in different climates all over the world, only 4 per cent of homeowners already had a heat pump, or were in the process of installing one. A quarter said that they would not want a heat pump in their house. Despite some progress in installation rates in households and small businesses, the UK is well below the target of 600,000 heat pump installations a year by 2028.

Building trust is also not made easy. Independent information, advice and guidance on low carbon heating is seen as absent by the public. SMF polling found that 50 per cent of people think there is too much conflicting information about heat pumps, clearly showing that misinformation is also taking root among the public. Among low-income groups in particular, there is a concern that being reliant on government funding for heat pumps will mean putting up with limited options, rather than having a true choice in the matter.

The SMF has recommended that the UK government engages in a comprehensive public engagement strategy, drawing on independent voices like Martin Lewis to provide reliable information about heat pumps, since heating engineers (54 per cent) and consumer websites (53 per cent) are the top go-to sources among homeowners, when the SMF asked them where they’d go if they wanted reliable information about heat pumps.

To show its commitment to the technology, the SMF argues the government should role model the installation and use of heat pumps by publicising their use in public buildings, like GP surgeries, schools and libraries, to build trust in the effectiveness of the technology. This is also crucial, as just over a third (34 per cent) think heat pumps will not be a long-term solution to home heating, either doubting the government’s commitment to it or seeing heat pumps as more of a fad.

Social Market Foundation researcher Niamh O Regan said: “The most critical barrier to UK’s net zero ambitions is no longer the belief in the mission, but rather whether people feel they can participate confidently in it. People want to feel that they are part of the transition – and the government has a lot to do to convince them of this.

“By directly engaging with the public, drawing on independent trusted voices, and showcasing its own actions that aid the green transition, the government can avoid the greenlash that [our] neighbours in Germany have faced. While financial support remains a necessity, the next stage has to be better communication.”

MCS Foundation head of research, policy and campaigns Dr Richard Hauxwell- Baldwin said: “17 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions come from heating our homes, meaning that replacing domestic boilers with heat pumps, on a mass scale, is critical for net zero.”

“While record numbers of heat pumps are being installed, the UK is still way behind where we need to be, and the vacuum of information on heat pumps is at least partly to blame.”

“The critical next few years in the transition to net zero must see clear, consistent and trusted public communication on the benefits of heat pumps and the process involved in installing them. Government must take a lead on that.”