Shale Gas Attitudes in UK Changing, Says Report

A major report on shale gas extraction in the UK has found that public attitudes are softening, as the benefits of the unconventional energy source appear more clearly.

The study, from the University of Nottingham, is called Public Perception of Shale Gas Extraction in the UK.

"The emergence of shale gas on the energy landscape has been nothing short of astounding," its authors, Sarah O'Hara, Brigitte Nerlich, Matthew Humphrey, Rusi Jaspal and Marianna Poberezhskaya. They also point out that the sudden appearance of shale has not been without controversy, starting first with US environmental opponents, whose arguments have spread to Europe.

The Nottingham survey, taken between March 2012-13, found a small increase (7%) in respondents who identified shale as a clean energy source. However there was still a sizable cohort, around 30%, who knew little about shale and did not idenitfy it as clean energy.

Although there was a considerable group of "don't knows" on the use of shale gas, the authors concluded that "there is a slow but gradual shift in the acceptance of shale gas as a form of energy".