Public support for UK oil and gas production is higher than ever.
That’s what industry body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) said in a statement sent to Rigzone recently, adding that new polling commissioned by OEUK showed that the majority of 2024 Labour voters “recognize the value to the economy of domestic energy supply”.
“The nationally representative survey of the UK was conducted by Opinium following the government’s decision to give the go-ahead to the new Jackdaw gas field which will supply 1.4 million homes, and ahead of the long-awaited decision on the Rosebank oil field,” OEUK noted in its statement.
“The polling conducted by Opinium showed 72 percent of 2024 Labour voters agree with the statement ‘oil and gas are essential for the foreseeable future’ and a further 62 percent agree that stopping using oil and gas would cause significant damage to the economy,” it added.
“This aligns with OEUK’s argument that while demand for oil and gas remains high, the Government should support British business rather than continue to rely on expensive imports,” it continued.
According to OEUK, the survey also showed that 62 percent of 2024 Labour Party voters believe the UK should continue to produce oil to meet domestic demand and that 57 percent agreed that the UK should increase its domestic oil and gas production.
“This is alongside majorities of Liberal Democrat and Conservative voters’ support for continuing UK oil production,” OEUK highlighted.
“The results demonstrate that large swathes of the British public support the sector and want to use the UK’s resources to boost British industry,” it added.
The industry body went on to outline that 68 percent of polled Labour Party voters agreed that greenlighting Jackdaw was the correct decision, “with only 17 percent disagreeing”.
“There is broad support for Jackdaw across supporters of all major political parties except for the Greens, as well as across all ages and UK regions,” OEUK said.
“On the subject of the upcoming decision on the Rosebank oil field, polled Labour opinion was also supportive,” OEUK highlighted.
The industry body revealed that 65 percent of those who voted Labour in 2024 said that the Government should approve Rosebank, “with only 17 percent saying it should be rejected”.
“This demonstrates that the intense politicization of this issue in the media is largely out of step with the British public, who are in 55 percent in favor of increasing domestic oil production and 63 percent in favor of approving Rosebank,” OEUK said.
OEUK also pointed out that 42 percent of Labour 2024 voters stated that Government approval of the project would cause them to view the Labour Party more favorably. It revealed that 33 percent said it would make no difference either way and that 14 percent of the Labour voter sample said it would make them view the party less favorably.
“Asked about the environmental arguments for the UK oil sector, that North Sea production creates fewer emissions during extraction than in many other countries, 48 percent of 2024 Labour voters said this would make them more likely to support production,” OEUK noted.
“This was compared to seven percent who said it would make them less likely to support, and 33 percent for whom it would make no difference,” it added.
OEUK revealed that other data from the survey showed that men have a more favorable view of the UK’s oil and gas industry than women, with 46 percent compared to 33 percent. In addition, OEUK highlighted that, “at 39 percent a higher percentage of 18-34 year olds view the industry positively than those aged 35-49 (31 percent) or those aged 50-64 (35 percent)”.
In OEUK’s statement, OEUK Chief Executive David Whitehouse said, “these results offer government an opportunity to align with public opinion and start working through the pipeline of North Sea projects that are awaiting approval”.
“The public are clearly in agreement with the new Prime Minister’s ‘pragmatic’ policy on the North Sea, which will once again be tested as the final decision on Rosebank is made in the coming months,” he added.
“Investing in North Sea energy strengthens Britain’s economy, supports UK supply chains and industrial communities, and builds our energy resilience,” Whitehouse continued.
Opinium conducted a nationally and politically representative sample of 2,050 UK adults aged 18 and over between October 28 and October 30, OEUK’s statement highlighted.
A poll on YouGov’s website asking if respondents supported or opposed the Government’s decision to approve gas extraction from the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea showed that 31 percent “strongly” supported the decision, 24 percent “somewhat” supported, 10 percent “somewhat” opposed the decision, eight percent “strongly” opposed, and 27 percent didn’t know.
Another poll on YouGov’s site asking respondents if they would support or oppose the Government approving further licenses to drill for oil and gas in the North Sea in future showed that 30 percent would “strongly” support the decision, 22 percent would “somewhat” support, 12 percent would “somewhat” oppose the decision, 12 percent would “strongly” oppose, and 24 percent didn’t know.
Both of YouGov’s polls were conducted on October 22 on 5,394 GB adults, YouGov’s site highlights.
Rigzone has contacted the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) for comment on OEUK’s statement and YouGov’s polls. At the time of writing, DESNZ has not responded to Rigzone.
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