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Climate Barometer tracker data shows that net zero support is underestimated by, within and between the public and MPs.
The actual level of net zero support amongst the public was 65% from our polling in October 2024. But when we asked people to estimate this, most members of the public (70%) and half of MPs (49%) underestimated the levels of support for net zero amongst the public.
When it comes to opinion in parliament – actual support for net zero by 2050 was 90% amongst the MPs we polled in October. But this support was underestimated by 93% of the public, as well as by three-quarters of MPs themselves (75%).
Simply put, the 2050 net zero target is much more popular amongst the public and MPs than people think.
This follows previous tracker data showing evidence of underestimated support for net zero.
Following months of sweltering heatwaves, record-breaking wildfires and five regions in drought, this week it was provisionally confirmed that 2025 was the UK’s hottest summer on record.
While this new record was made ‘70 times’ more likely by climate change, the overwhelming sentiment is that the country is not prepared for more summers like this. The UK’s official climate advisors, practitioners who work on the frontline of the heatwave response, and the British public all agree that the UK isn’t ready for more extreme weather,worsening heat, and compounding risks like water scarcity and wildfires.
At the same time, there are important perception gaps to address. Despite the alarming statistics about heat-related deaths in the UK, many people were looking forward to the first heatwaves this summer. Lots think that heatwaves will only become a problem for the UK in the future. And many believe that hot weather poses more of a risk to other people, not themselves.
In this context there are important conversations now happening about how to grapple with the growing climate risks in the UK, including the sudden lurch towards air conditioning (despite its potential to make heat risks worse).
For more on the key issues surrounding heat communication, check out our recent opinion piece in Climate Home News.
A climate of silence in the UK?
New analysis from Climate Barometer reveals more than half of Britons say they ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ share their opinions on climate change in everyday conversations.