MOST people in the UK want to see a reduction in fossil fuel, with solar ranked as the top choice for energy production.
A huge study lead by Nottingham and Cardiff universities has found a surprisingly high level of concern about climate change and willingness to cut fossil fuel use.
The academic teams interviewed 2,441 people from all over the UK, 74% of whom said they were very or fairly concerned about climate change.
Interestingly most people (82%) said they were worried about the UK becoming too dependent upon energy from other countries, showing that fuel security fears were a big issue.
A spokesperson from renewable energy www.theecoexperts.co.uk said: “This study is fantastic news for both the environment and the renewables industry. From talking to members of the public, our colleagues, our friends, we already knew people are worried about energy supply in the UK.
“Now there is academic research proving that UK residents want to see a reduction in fossil fuel and energy use. It is also interesting that contrary to popular belief a large proportion of UK residents actually support solar and wind energy, which is very exciting.”
According to the research, 79% wanted to see a reduction in the use of fossil fuels over the next few decades and 81% expressed a desire to reduce their energy use.
However, while there was clear support for solar (85%) and wind energy (75%), nuclear created mixed reactions, with over half (54%) saying they would oppose a new nuclear power station in their area.
