The research, published on the eve of tomorrow’s local elections (taking place in 35 different areas of England), shows that if a local candidate came out in support of building wind farms 34 per cent of the electorate would be more likely to back them.
In every region in England more people would vote for a candidate who supported wind farms than would be put off by their support.
This contrasts with local election candidates who support hydraulic fracturing or fracking for shale gas, where only 20 per cent of voters say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supported the technology and 26 per cent said they would be less likely to do so.
Commenting on the research, Maria McCaffery, chief executive at RenewableUK, said: “On the eve of local elections the message is clear – supporting wind farms gains votes. Right across England we saw more people would be motivated to support a local candidate who backed wind farms than those who oppose them – the opposite of what a vocal minority sometimes claims. The results of this polling will provide a boost to local politicians to allow them to do what’s right for the country – developing our massive renewable energy resources. Whilst we’ve seen before how popular onshore wind farms are with the general population, this research proves that people carry that conviction to the ballot box, and if politicians speak out in support of wind energy they can reap the benefits.”