Heat, Drought & Wildfires

New polling by More in Common shows that 86% of the UK public believe climate change to be either entirely or partially responsible for the June 2026 heatwave. This holds true even for those opposing net zero, with 63% of them seeing climate change as at least in part to blame for the extreme heat.

At the same time, more than 4 in 5 think the UK is unprepared to cope with extremely hot weather (84%) and more than 3 in 4 see the country as ill-equipped to deal with water shortages and drought (77%).

Asked about which groups they think are most negatively affected by extreme heat, the elderly (88%) and children (68%) were seen as worst impacted, closely followed by “ordinary people” (66%).

Describing the most recent heatwave in their own words, responses revealed a public struggling to cope, with words like “hot”, “worried”, “unbearable” and “uncomfortable” being mentioned most often:

Relatedly, the majority expect more political leadership on the issue: 59% of the public say they want the government to help people like them cope with the impacts of extreme heat, compared to 26% who think the government should do the same amount and only 5% who say the government should do less to help people like them cope.

This YouGov piece suggests that the June 2026 heatwave has not had a clear impact on issue salience, climate policy support or public actions – despite most (71%) believing climate change played a role. The piece also suggests that the number of Britons concerned about climate change following major heatwaves does not differ compared to other temperatures and times of year.

Alongside this however, the piece shows how past extreme weather events – including the 2022/2023 heatwaves, and major flooding in 2014 – have lead to clear spikes in the salience of ‘the environment’ as top a national issue. It is possible that further heat episodes this summer may lead to a spike in issue salience.

But any influence of specific climate impacts should not be overstated either, as they tend to lead to short-lived spikes and they are not the only thing that shifts the dial: The data shows that longer-term campaigning across the climate movement (e.g. the various climate protests around 2019) and major events (such as the UK’s hosting of COP26) tend to have a more sustained effect on issue salience.

New survey data shows that nearly three quarters (71%) believe the government should make adapting to climate risks like floods, heat, and droughts an “urgent, top priority”, while only a minority (15%) disagreed.

The findings, from a nationally representative UK survey in collaboration with Flooded People, highlight the public desire for action on impacts like floods, storms, heat and drought.

While experts in the climate sector separate out ‘adaptation’ and ‘mitigation’, our new data shows that a majority (55%) think these two broad responses should be prioritised equally (echoing our previous tracker insights).

The survey also showed that most people report one or more direct experience of climate impacts. Heatwaves and extreme heat are the most commonly experienced climate impact (felt by 46%). A third have experienced ‘severe storms’ (30%), and a fifth say they have been directly affected either by flooding or poor air quality (both 21%). It’s less than a third (29%) who still say they have “no experience of impacts” at all.

New analysis of national survey data shows how experience of heatwaves and extreme heat varies by region across the UK. People in the East of England were the most likely to report direct personal experience of heat, with almost two thirds saying they had felt this (60%). London, the South West and South East were the next most likely to report heat experience – with more than half in each of these regions saying they have been directly affected. Respondents in Northern Ireland were the least likely to say they had experienced the heat (26%), while those in the North of England, Scotland and Wales were also less likely to report personal experience of heatwaves. This data was collected in March-April 2026 by Climate Barometer and Flooded People.