This report, commissioned by eleven leading energy trade bodies including Solar Energy UK, presents the findings of a nationally indicative survey of 996 UK adults, including respondents across all political voting affiliations.
The organisations behind this polling represent the breadth of the UK’s clean energy economy – from wind, solar and storage to heat, bioenergy, hydrogen, carbon capture, nuclear and demand flexibility.
Together, the ADE, BEAMA, the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), Energy UK, the Heat Pump Association (HPA UK), Hydrogen UK, the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA), the Renewable Energy Association (REA), RenewableUK, Scottish Renewables, and Solar Energy UK speak for thousands of businesses across the supply chain – developers, manufacturers, investors, operators, generators, and innovators – working to deliver the UK’s clean energy transition at pace and scale.
Respondents were asked twelve questions about energy infrastructure and the energy transition, each answered across three time perspectives: recalled 2020, current 2026, and projected 2030.
The findings describe how communities understand the direction of travel, not only where opinion sits today.
The headline is that most people understand the link between clean power and better energy security, between international events and energy bills, and most still prioritise tackling climate change.
The public backs long-term infrastructure investment, and wants costs spread fairly, preferring this to paying less now if that incurs costs later on. People recognise storage and flexibility as essential,
back grid upgrades and, in general, are more system literate, more engaged, and more willing to support the transition than the industry conversation typically assumes.
Six strategic insights emerge from the data:
- First, most people associate clean power with improved security, both in terms of energy supply and dependence on international supply chains.
- Second, whilst lowering energy bills is a priority, the public is asking for investment rather than delay; the preference for spreading costs over many years now leads by some way across every political persuasion.
- Third, whilst the cost of energy and energy security remain the top concerns, there is still strong support for tackling climate change and reducing air pollution.
- Fourth, there is majority support for a flexible, storage-led system to accommodate the variable output from renewables – grid upgrades, storage and smart technology to shift when we use power, with only 4% of the public willing to fall back on fossil fuels.
- Fifth, clean energy is increasingly seen as supporting the country’s jobs and industrial strategy, with UK industrial competitiveness the fastest-rising of the seven options.
- Sixth, whilst there is support for, and increasing understanding of the energy sector’s transition, there is a need to improve communications to correct misperceptions about the energy system and its costs.
People have valid and understandable questions about why energy bills are so high, and the sector, stakeholders and governments need to do a better job in communicating the facts.
There is public support for action to decarbonise power, tackle climate change and improve energy security.
What’s missing is an understanding of how this will practically be achieved – what is actually happening, what the impact will be and what the trade offs are.
See the full report here: June-2026-Watt-Communities-Want_Six-insights-joint-energy-TA-polling