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UK politicians think public opposition to climate policy is far greater than it is, study finds

cam.ac.uk · 2h · first reportShare

UK politicians think public opposition to climate policy is far greater than it is, study finds Fred Lewsey Wed, 08/19/2026 - 09:50 Members of Parliament from the UK’s three biggest political parties in the House of Commons significantly overestimate levels of public resistance to major policy proposals for tackling climate change, a University of Cambridge study suggests . Researchers say it may be the first data-led evidence for a “spiral of silence” in Westminster, where skewed perceptions of public sentiment among politicians can reduce political support for a policy. The study’s authors, from the University’s El-Erian Institute of Behavioural Economics and Policy and the Cambridge Political Psychology Lab, surveyed one hundred sitting MPs in early 2025 on how they think voters and other parliamentarians feel about carbon reduction policies, and compared their estimates with public polling from earlier that year.* On making grants or loans for improved insulation available to all h