Public perceptions of heat decarbonisation in Great Britain: Awareness, values and the social circle effect

The decarbonisation of domestic heating is essential for the UK to achieve net zero carbon emissions, but requires significant changes in domestic infrastructure. Public participation plays a pivotal role in this transition, yet public attitudes towards decarbonised heating remain under-researched and poorly understood.

We report a nationally representative online survey of 2226 individuals in Great Britain. The survey explored attitudes to three decarbonised heating technologies currently being trialled or entering the market: heat pumps, hydrogen heating, and district heating networks. A wide dataset of interrelated variables was collected, including heating system preference and usage, knowledge and support for decarbonised heating, environmental and energy security concerns, perceptions of trust and responsibility, financial considerations, and many others.

Central to the study were two methodological innovations; an informed choice decision pathway element designed to investigate key factors underlying personal willingness to adopt each technology, and a psychometric network modelling approach that allowed deep exploration of the structural and dynamic properties of attitudes to decarbonised heating.

Findings indicated that the majority of respondents had were aware and supportive towards decarbonised heating, particularly towards heat pumps. However, knowledge of these technologies was limited. Government and energy actors were seen as somewhat untrustworthy but ultimately responsible for funding the transition, and respondents supported policies emphasising government responsibility.

When informed, respondent's willingness to adopt decarbonised heating technologies appeared resistant to change, and not strongly influenced any key factors. However, network modelling estimated normative social forces (‘social circle’ effect) were highly influential in shaping attitudes to decarbonised heating.