Report

Declining urgency, enduring support

This report from UK think tank the Policy Institute examines public attitudes to net zero and climate policy.

The share of the UK public who say the country needs to reduce carbon emissions to net zero sooner than 2050 has nearly halved since 2021, according to a major new study. 29% of the public now say the UK should achieve net zero before the government’s 2050 target – down from 54% in 2021, when this question was last asked.

The proportion who feel the UK either doesn’t need to reach net zero by 2050 or shouldn’t have a net zero target at all has risen from 9% to 26% over the same period.