Friends of the Earth Scotland statement in response to Conservative Party press release

Friends of the Earth Scotland refutes the Conservative party statement released on 1 May that claims that fewer than one in five Scots backs wind power as their preferred energy choice for generating electricity in future. The statement distorts the results of a You Gov poll commissioned by Friends of the Earth that was released on Monday 23 April. The poll revealed that almost 9 out of 10 Scots (88 per cent of those polled) support reducing the UK’s reliance on importing coal and gas to produce household electricity. 

When asked what their preferred choices for producing household electricity were in 10 years time, the most popular was wave and tidal (chosen by 71 per cent with 32 per cent as first choice), followed by wind (chosen by 65 per cent, with 18 per cent as first choice) and then solar (chosen by 57 per cent, with 15 per cent as first choice). 82 per cent of people polled believe that household electricity should be produced in Scotland in future. 

Friends of the Earth Scotland supports the Scottish Government’s renewable energy targets and has previously carried out research that demonstrates that Scotland could phase out all coal and nuclear power by 2030, maintain a secure electricity supply and generate significant revenue from renewable exports. Read our Power of Scotland Secured report for more information.