TALKING GREEN

PUBLIC REACTIONS TO KEY CLIMATE

CHANGE TERMS

Luke Raikes and Ben Cooper

November 2021

This report represents the views of the individual writer and not

the collective views of the Fabian Society, FEPS or the European

Parliament. The responsibility of the society is limited to approving its

publications as worthy of consideration within the Labour movement.

Acknowledgements

This paper is part of the Talking Green and implementing an inclusive Just

Transition model – The People’s Transition project. This project is a

collaboration between the Fabian Society, FEPS and TASC that seeks to find

answers to the questions of how progressive parties should talk about green

issues and how participation in a just transition can be ensured. We are also

particularly grateful to European Climate Foundation (ECF) for their financial

support and for partnering with us on this project. Specific thanks to go

Charlotte Billingham (formerly of FEPS), Saïd El Khadraoui, David Rinaldi

and Andreas Dimmelmeier at FEPS, Sean McCabe at TASC, Steve Akehurst at

GSCC and Jessica Nicholls at the ECF. We would also like to thank our

colleagues Andrew Harrop, Kate Murray and Emma Burnell. Finally, special

thanks to Anthony Wells and Patrick English at YouGov for their extensive

and highly valued advice and work on the polling.

We are especially grateful to our advisory group who offered support to

shape our thinking, especially early on in the project. This group included:

Tom Brookes (European Climate Foundation); Dr Gráinne Healy (researcher

and campaigner); Dr Clare O’Grady (Trinity College Dublin); Emma Rose

(Unchecked.uk); and Dr Chris Shaw (Climate Outreach).

This Policy Brief was produced with the financial support of the European

Parliament.

TALKING GREEN: PUBLIC REACTIONS TO KEY CLIMATE CHANGE TERMS

INTRODUCTION AND

CONTEXT

‘Net zero’, ‘green industrial revolution’ and ‘green jobs’ – the climate change

discussion has developed its own vocabulary, especially when discussing

the economic benefits of taking action. Politicians, the media and

campaigners often refer to ‘net zero’ – which means ensuring a balance

between the gases going into the atmosphere and those being taken out.

Campaigners and political parties have also linked the need to take action

on climate change with the need to regenerate post-industrial communities,

or to protect workers in polluting industries, as part of a so-called ‘just

transition’. They use phrases such as ‘green industrial revolution’ and ‘green

jobs’ to make the case.

However, the current language raises a number of issues. These terms are

not always understood by the majority of people. Many of them are quite

new or abstract, or co-opted terms which have very different associations in

another, more common context: ‘industrial revolution’ for example.

It is more important than ever to get this right. To meet our climate change

targets, people will have to make changes to the way they live. This could

come at a financial cost, cause inconvenience and require lifestyle changes. It

should go without saying, therefore, that politicians, the media and

campaigners urgently need to make sure they are using words and phrases

that connect with the people who will be affected.i

This project, Talking Green, aims to find better ways to talk about climate

change. We are especially focused on the economic regeneration aspects of

the ‘just transition’ - an area which is especially politically salient because of

the government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda and is a big topic of debate on the

left too.ii

To do this, we developed a survey in consultation with our advisory group

and a range of experts and stakeholders. The Fabian Society and FEPS then

commissioned YouGov to survey 5,005 people across Great Britain. The

TALKING GREEN: PUBLIC REACTIONS TO KEY CLIMATE CHANGE TERMS

survey was carried out online and sent to members of YouGov’s panel.

Fieldwork was undertaken between 1st and 10th October 2021.

We asked a wide and comprehensive range of questions related to climate

change and tested messages using the methodologies of: MaxDiff (asking

people to pick their most and least convincing messages); and split testing,

also known as ‘A/B’ testing (exposing different, representative groups of

people to different paragraphs to see which changes their view most). We

also asked for people’s free text reactions to key phrases, and analysed these

manually for their general sentiment – some people simply gave their

association (for example ‘climate’) while others had overtly negative or

positive responses, which we separated out.

This short briefing summarises a small section of the findings from that

opinion survey. It forms part of a wider project which is a partnership

between FEPS, the Fabian Society and TASC.iii Our final report will be

published later in 2021, and will include more findings from this poll as well

as an extensive review of the literature.

This briefing focuses on people’s reactions to the key words politicians and

campaigners use. It should be noted that respondents were answering these

questions as part of a wider survey, following other questions related to

climate change, and so will have had the subject at the top of their minds

and been more ‘primed’ than most to give answers related to this agenda.

TALKING GREEN: PUBLIC REACTIONS TO KEY CLIMATE CHANGE TERMS

1. VIEWS ON CLIMATE

CHANGE

The British public is generally convinced that climate change is a problem.

Previous evidence and surveys have found that more than 60 per cent were

either ‘extremely’ or ‘very worried’ about climate change, while an

additional quarter of the population were ‘somewhat’ worried.iv The public

have also shown they recognise that climate change is a problem now, not a

distant challenge.v And there is demand for government leadership: 82 per

cent assign a high degree of responsibility for achieving net zero to the

national government.vi These findings are relatively consistent across many

opinion surveys.

More people expect climate action to have a positive impact,

than a negative impact, on them and their families

Our findings add to this picture. We asked whether people expected action

on climate change to have a positive or negative impact on them and their

family (figure 1). We found that very few people expected a negative impact,

with more than double instead expecting a positive impact:

- 17 per cent expected a negative impact, including only 5 per cent

who expected a very negative impact. This was notably higher

among Conservative voters (25 per cent) and Leave voters (23 per

cent) and voters aged 65+ (22 per cent) though in each case more

people expected a positive impact than expected a negative impact.

Only 10 per cent of 18-24 year olds and 10 per cent of Labour voters

expected a negative impact.

- 39 per cent expected a positive impact, including 9 per cent who

expected a very positive impact. This was notably higher among

Labour voters (49 per cent), Remain voters (49 per cent), 18 to 24-

year-olds (47 per cent), and those who held degrees – whether

middle class (50 per cent) or working class (41 per cent).

vii

TALKING GREEN: PUBLIC REACTIONS TO KEY CLIMATE CHANGE TERMS

FIGURE 1: IF THE GOVERNMENT, BUSINESSES AND HOUSEHOLDS

MAKE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS TO

REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS IN THE UK, WHAT IMPACT, IF ANY,

DO YOU THINK THESE POLICIES WOULD HAVE ON YOU AND YOUR

FAMILY?

N=5,005

More people saw climate change as an opportunity to create

jobs, than as a threat to jobs

People were more likely to see climate change as an opportunity to create

jobs than as a threat to jobs (figure 2). This was true to a greater or lesser

extent across political affiliation, age, region and education:

- 44 per cent thought it was more of an opportunity to create jobs. This

view received especially high support from middle-class people with

degrees (55 per cent) as well as from working-class people with

degrees (52 per cent), Remain voters (53 per cent) and Labour voters

(50 per cent).

- Working-class people without degrees (37 per cent) and working-

class people under 50 (37 per cent) were less optimistic, but no more

likely to think climate change was a threat to jobs.

These findings indicate that there is general support for climate action across

all groups, but with a few caveats: their support is not overwhelming; there

are variations between demographic and political groups; and many people

have yet to make up their mind.

TALKING GREEN: PUBLIC REACTIONS TO KEY CLIMATE CHANGE TERMS

FIGURE 2: IN YOUR OPINION, DO YOU THINK CLIMATE CHANGE IS

MORE OF A THREAT TO PEOPLE’S JOBS, OR AN OPPORTUNITY TO

CREATE JOBS?

N=5,005

TALKING GREEN: PUBLIC REACTIONS TO KEY CLIMATE CHANGE TERMS

2. MESSAGES

1. ‘Net zero’ is often misunderstood

We asked more 1,693 people what word or phrase comes to mind when they

think of ‘net zero’. Other surveys have found that this term is often

misunderstood or not understood at all.viii This was not a test of people’s

knowledge, but of what they associate with the term and their immediate

reaction to it.

Of the people surveyed:

- 28 per cent had reactions such as ‘don’t know’, ‘no idea’ or ‘not sure’,

while a further 12 per cent associated it with something else.

- 27 per cent had a negative reaction, with responses such as ‘load of

cobblers’, ‘low grade management speak’ as well as ‘impossible’ or

‘utopian’.

- 25 per cent responded, at least in general terms, that it was

something to do with climate change, of which 19 per cent (of all

respondents) referred specifically to emissions. A further 5 per cent

of respondents responded positively but in a more general sense.

FIGURE 3: WHAT WORD OR PHRASE COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU

THINK OF 'NET ZERO'?

N=1,693

TALKING GREEN: PUBLIC REACTIONS TO KEY CLIMATE CHANGE TERMS

2. ‘Green jobs’ are well received by some

but there is significant confusion and

scepticism

We asked another group of 1,680 people what word or phrase comes to

mind when they think of ‘green jobs’. This is a term commonly used by

activists to refer to a wide range of jobs – for some it is ‘green technologies’,

and for others it can also refer to jobs in health and social care.

Of the people surveyed:

- 29 per cent responded generally that it was to do with climate

change, emissions or the environment.

- 22 per cent had a generally positive response, such as ‘hopeful’,

‘essential’, ‘promising’, or ‘the future’ and a further 5 per cent

associated it with the economy, technology or jobs in a positive sense.

- 21 per cent had some form of negative reaction – with responses such

as ‘expensive’, ‘unrealistic’ ‘baloney’, ‘propaganda’ or ‘jargon’.

FIGURE 4: WHAT WORD OR PHRASE COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU

THINK OF ‘GREEN JOBS’?

N=1,680

TALKING GREEN: PUBLIC REACTIONS TO KEY CLIMATE CHANGE TERMS

3. A ‘green industrial revolution’ had a

significant negative response

We asked a further 1,632 people what word or phrase comes to mind when

they think of ‘green industrial revolution’. This is a term commonly used by

both the Labour party and the Conservative party to make the case for

economic regeneration, usually in green technologies such as windfarms

and gigafactories, although definitions vary quite significantly.

Of the people surveyed:

- 30 per cent had a negative reaction, or expressed scepticism,

concerns about waste or cost, and views that it was jargon or

rhetoric: ‘Haha, you live in cuckoo land’, ‘rubbish, ‘wishful thinking’

for example.

- 27 per cent had a generally positive response, including those who

responded ‘future’, ‘progress’ and ‘change’ and terms like

‘innovation’ or ‘technology’.

- 18 per cent associated it generally with emissions, climate or the

environment.

- 15 per cent weren’t sure what it meant, and there was a range of

‘other’ responses, which show associations aren’t always in line with

expectations: ‘Kermit the frog working in a factory’, for example.

FIGURE 5: WHAT WORD OR PHRASE COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU

THINK OF ‘GREEN INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION’?

N=1,632

TALKING GREEN: PUBLIC REACTIONS TO KEY CLIMATE CHANGE TERMS

4. ‘We owe it to our children…’ makes the

strongest case for action on climate

change

Economic opportunities clearly aren’t the only benefit of acting to tackle

climate change. There are numerous benefits to taking such action, the most

obvious one being to prevent climate change itself.

We asked our sample of 5,005 people which of eight messages they found

most and least convincing, when thinking about the opportunities presented

by tackling climate change. As figure 6 below shows:

- ‘We owe our children a better future but if we don’t act, they will pay

the price’ was overwhelmingly the favourite, with more than a third

(35 per cent) of people selecting it as the most convincing of eight the

messages. We analysed responses by education and NRS social grade

(a common proxy for social class) and it was the favourite or close

second favourite, argument of almost all groups.

- ‘Big corporations don’t play by the rules, and get away with

emissions while the rest of us pay the price’ was also relatively

persuasive, with 30 per cent selecting this as the most convincing

argument. More Labour voters, 18 to 24-year-olds and people with

higher qualifications found this the most convincing message, while

those aged 65+ and Conservative voters were less likely to find this

convincing, and more likely to find it the least convincing message.

- ‘We need to reduce our dependence on foreign countries for energy’

was also relatively persuasive for many, with 28 per cent selecting

this as the most convincing. This was picked as the most convincing

by 30 per cent of working-class people without a degree and 28 per

cent of middle-class people without a degree. In this context it should

be noted that this poll was carried out during a time when energy

prices were particularly salient.

- ‘A green industrial revolution will create 400,000 new jobs over the

next decade and radically transform society’ was overwhelmingly

the least favourite argument across all combinations of social grade

and degree. Only 13 per cent selected this as most convincing

message, while 45 per cent selected it as their least convincing

message. It was especially unpopular among working-class people

aged 50+, older people generally, Leave voters and Conservative

voters. The only group who found this relatively persuasive were 18

TALKING GREEN: PUBLIC REACTIONS TO KEY CLIMATE CHANGE TERMS

to 24-year-olds, and even then, slightly more found it least

convincing (25 per cent) than most convincing (24 per cent). Even

Green party voters (who might be expected to support such a

message) were rarely persuaded.

Politicians feel an understandable desire to link climate change with job

creation. The more convincing ‘jobs’ or economic based arguments were:

- ‘We need to create new, secure jobs for builders, plumbers and

apprentices upgrading our homes to use less gas and electricity’ – 23

per cent found this the most persuasive, and 18 per cent found this

the least persuasive.

- ‘It is an opportunity to bring back British industry, creating electric

cars and wind turbines, making us less vulnerable to decisions made

overseas’ – 23 per cent of people found this the most convincing,

although around the same proportion found this the least

convincing, at 24 per cent. Conservative voters (31 per cent), Leave

voters (29 per cent), and over-65s (26 per cent) were more likely to

find this message most convincing.

This also indicates that values are more powerful than grand claims about

job creation: ‘fairness’ tended to be popular; as did self-reliance.

FIGURE 6: BELOW ARE A SELECTION OF THINGS PEOPLE HAVE

SAID ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES PRESENTED BY TACKLING

CLIMATE CHANGE. PLEASE LOOK AT THESE ARGUMENTS AND

PICK THE ONE THAT YOU FIND THE MOST AND THE LEAST

CONVINCING

N=5,005

TALKING GREEN: PUBLIC REACTIONS TO KEY CLIMATE CHANGE TERMS

CONCLUSIONS AND

COMMENT

Politicians, the media and activists must improve the way they talk about

climate change. There is general support for the government to take action

on climate change and people do see the opportunity to create jobs – though

this view isn’t overwhelming and opinions do vary between demographic

and political groups.

But these findings confirm that some of the terms used most often in this

debate do not connect with the public in the way they are intended to: these

words often provoke negative reactions and understandable confusion.

The country is entering a difficult period, and tackling the challenges we

face will be even harder if we are not even talking the same language, or if

politicians are not making the most convincing case for action.

As a starting point, politicians, the media and activists should:

- Refer to ‘net zero’ using clearer, more commonly understood words

and, where there is no alternative but to use this term, elaborate on

what it means.

- Talk about specific jobs and their quality, rather than leading on the

fact that they are ‘green’ – as this seems to provoke scepticism and

has far more of an association with the climate agenda than

regeneration. This defeats the purpose of making the economic case.

- Resist the urge to ramp up the rhetoric by referring to the ‘green

industrial revolution’, or large numbers of jobs, which provokes a

significant negative and sceptical response from the public. Many do

not think it makes a convincing case.

TALKING GREEN: PUBLIC REACTIONS TO KEY CLIMATE CHANGE TERMS

Endnotes

i Polls apart? Mapping the politics of net zero, Tim Lord, Brett Meyer and

Ian Mulheirn. Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, 2021.

ii The TUC in 2019 set out a number of key principles for a just transition: a

clear and funded path to a low-carbon economy; workers must be at

the heart of delivering these plans; every worker should have access

to funding to improve their skills; and, new jobs must be good jobs.

iii Who have undertaken related work in Ireland

iv Britain talks climate: A toolkit for engaging the British public on climate

change, Dr Susie Wang, Dr Adam Corner & Jessie Nicholls. Climate

Outreach, 2020.

v Climate snapshot 2019: A survey of UK attitudes towards climate change

and its impacts. Client Earth, 2019.

vi Going greener? Public attitudes to net zero, Anvar Sarygulov. Bright Blue,

2020.

vii We use NRS social grade as a proxy, imperfect as it is.

viii BEIS public attitudes tracker, March 2021, wave 37. Department for

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, May 2021.