87 per cent of people in Scotland think the UK should aim to meet its demand for oil and gas from domestic production, according to new research published today (Friday) by advisory firm True North.
The findings, which form part of the first comprehensive public polling exercise to be conducted on a Scotland-wide basis in 2023, also reveal that energy companies operating in the North Sea are seen to have a positive impact on the UK economy by a factor of five to one.
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The results were previewed at a special event at Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University last night, hosted by True North for North East business leaders and university students and staff, with analysis from the UK’s leading expert on public and social attitudes Prof Sir John Curtice.
The full tables, covering Scottish and UK politics, attitudes to public policy and the energy industry, will be published on True North’s website (truenorth.scot) on Friday 20th January at 11am.
With a strong focus on the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the findings of True North’s poll show overwhelmingly that the Energy Profits Levy, the so-called ‘Windfall Tax’, is viewed as an ineffective measure in reducing household energy bills or encouraging energy companies from diversifying away from fossil fuels into renewables.
True North is an Aberdeen-headquartered firm providing impactful advice on policy, strategic engagement and communications to a range of businesses and organisations right across the UK. True North periodically conducts polling on key issues to help underpin the advice provided to clients with a strong evidence base.
True North Managing Partner Fergus Mutch said:
“Our first True North issues poll of 2023 covers the political lay of the land, what Scotland thinks about delivery of public services, perceptions of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and key issues around energy policy.
“Its findings certainly throw up some challenges for both UK and Scottish governments, not least on how best to support an energy sector in transition through an ongoing crisis in global energy security.
“Nowhere is this approach facing more scrutiny than in the North East of Scotland, and it’s interesting to note that this region’s key industries have nationwide backing as an economic force for good and in leading the delivery of our domestic energy requirements, despite the Scottish Government’s announcement of a presumption against new oil and gas exploration as part of its new energy strategy.
“We know that the UK government’s windfall tax, however well-intentioned, is having a serious impact on investment decisions by energy firms at a time when certainty is needed. People across Scotland harbour doubts about its efficacy in lowering their household energy bills, or in terms of encouraging energy firms to move away from fossil fuels towards renewables.
“We’ll publish more of our findings today, which we hope will stimulate some informed discussion on the outlook for businesses and the economy over the year ahead.”
Professor Sir John Curtice said:
“Despite the current debate about climate change, most people in Scotland think that the energy industry in Scotland has had a positive impact on the UK and Scottish economies, and that, for so long as the UK continues to need oil and gas supplies, they are best sourced from within the UK rather than via imports. Indeed, this is one topic on which both nationalist and unionist supporters largely agree.”
