Scots’ View Unchanged by Trump’s Anti-Wind Comments

93% of Scots polled are either more supportive or their views unchanged by Trump’s comments on wind power.

Poll also suggests 85% of Scots surveyed believe Scottish Government should place little or no weight on Donald Trump’s views when making decisions about energy policy

The majority of people polled in a YouGov survey in Scotland have indicated their views are either unchanged or are more supportive of wind power as a result of Donald Trump’s recent statements about the sector.

The YouGov poll, commissioned by Scottish Renewables and carried out between 12 and 17 April, found 77 per cent of those questioned hadn’t changed their views about wind power in light of Mr Trump’s comments and 16 per cent of those questioned said his comments had made them more supportive of wind power.

Only 4 per cent of those questioned stated they were less favourable to the development of wind power as a result of Mr Trump’s comments.

The poll asked five questions on wind power and Mr Trump’s comments about the development of the sector in Scotland, including his statements that turbines are ‘ugly monstrosities’ and ‘horrendous machines’.

When asked how much weight they thought the Scottish Government should give to Donald Trump’s views when deciding on Scotland’s future energy policy, 85 per cent of those surveyed said ‘ none’ (59%) or ‘not a lot’ (26%).

Commenting on the figures, Niall Stuart, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said:

 “This poll suggests that Donald Trump’s comments on the development of wind power in Scotland have actually made some people more positive about wind power than they were before. More than three quarters of respondents indicated their views on wind power were unchanged.

 “The results also suggest that most people do not think the Scottish Government should place a huge amount of weight on Mr Trump’s views when making decisions on Scotland’s future energy policy.

 “A clear majority of respondents support wind power and support our renewable energy targets.”

Of those polled;

• 59 per cent strongly disagreed (37%) or tended to disagree (22%) with Donald Trump’s statements that wind turbines are ‘ugly monstrosities’ and ‘horrendous machines’
• 71 per cent strongly agreed (39%) or tended to agree (33%) with the continuing development of wind power as part of a mix of renewable and conventional forms of electricity generation
• 77 per cent strongly agreed (42%) or tended to agree (35%) with Scotland’s target to generate 30 per cent of our energy needs from a mix of renewables by 2020

 Mr Stuart added: “We think that the poll sends a clear signal to the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee during their inquiry. A significant majority of people polled support the continued growth of wind power and other renewables, which together met 35 per cent of Scotland’s electricity needs in 2011.

 “It’s not just the general public who support the growth of renewables as part of our energy mix – leading figures in our business and environment sectors, as well as educational and civic groups, have all thrown their weight behind this industry.

 “They see the mounting evidence that renewables are growing employment, improving training and further education opportunities, encouraging investment and helping us reach important targets to reduce our carbon emissions and tackle climate change.”

[mappress]

Offshore WIND staff, April 25, 2012; Image: scottishrenewables