Government figures belie fracking industry claims

Within the space of a few days, both the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and UK Onshore Oil and Gas (UKOOG) published their findings into public support for extracting natural gas through hydraulic fracturing – or fracking.

The government poll, part of an on going tracking survey, showed that just 24 per cent of respondents back fracking, which is a decline on previous waves (29 per cent in March 2014 and 28 per cent in December 2013).

However, the poll carried out by Populus for UKOOG found 57 per cent were in favour, provided that fracking is part of a mix that includes renewable energy sources. These results were widely covered by the media, with the BBC, Telegraph and the Daily Mail reporting the findings.

The Populus poll has been criticised by green groups who claim the survey was flawed because it was carried out by an organisation that aims to benefit from fracking in the UK.

A spokesperson for Greenpeace said: “Surely it's no coincidence that the only survey out there showing this level of public support for fracking has been commissioned by the industry lobby. All independent polls show less than half of Britain backs shale drilling.”

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, who was involved in the fracking protests lasts summer, dismissed the UKOOG poll result as "an absolute outlier" and said she believed some of the questions it asked were "quite dubious in the way they were phrased".

Commenting on the results of the Populus survey, Ken Cronin, Chief Executive of UKOOG, said:

“This survey shows that most people across the country think that shale gas should be developed. Shale gas and renewables are complementary, and our survey confirms that the public would like to see a balanced mix that includes both sources of energy.”

Other findings from the DECC survey shows that almost half say they neither support nor oppose it, while 24 per cent are opposed. The UKOOG survey said that only 16 per cent of Britons oppose fracking.

15 August 2014