More Australians Believe Renewable Transition Negatively Affects Energy Prices: Survey

Vestas service technicians look out on the view from the hatches on the top of a wind turbine in Taralga, Australia, on Aug. 31, 2015. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

An increasing number of Australians now believe that the renewable energy transition is having a negative impact on energy prices in the country, a new survey has found.

The Australian branch of the global market research company Ipsos has released a survey (pdf) that provides a snapshot of Australians’ attitudes and opinions about the energy transition pushed by the government and political parties.

According to the report, 41 percent of the respondents were concerned about the transition’s negative impacts on living costs, an increase of 10 percent since 2022.

Around 37 percent and 36 percent believed transition was detrimental to the affordability of household energy bills and the reliability of energy supply, up 7 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

In addition, the percentage of people who wanted to see the transition to prioritise lowering energy prices and improving network reliability jumped by 13 percent compared to the previous survey.

There was also a drop in the support for Australia to take a leading role in energy transition, with 58 percent of respondents wanting Australia to be a global leader, down from 64 percent in 2022.

“The cost-of-living environment is causing many Australians to question the impacts of the energy transition on their households’ finances,” Ipsos Australia Public Affairs Director Stuart Clark said.

“And that is reducing the appetite for Australia to take a leading role in the global transition.”

The figures come as Australians have seen a sharp rise in electricity prices in the past few years.

Data from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission indicated that effective prices for residential customers across all jurisdictions increased by 14 percent between September 2022 and September 2023.

This followed a 13.1 percent jump between September 2021 and September 2022.

Australians’ Support for Energy Transition Still Remains Strong

The survey found strong support for the energy transition, with almost six in ten respondents (59 percent) believing Australia should switch to renewable energy from fossil fuels.

While support was consistent across all demographic groups, people living in inner regional areas (66 percent), Gen Z (61 percent), and Millennials (61 percent) had the highest support levels for the energy transition.

However, 87 percent of those surveyed believed the transition was not yet underway and a combined 50 percent did not think the transition would ever happen.

Furthermore, most people were not convinced Australia could meet its emission reduction target of 43 percent by 2030.

Around 45 percent believed it was unlikely, 20 percent said they were unsure, and the remaining 28 percent said the targets were likely to be met.

Meanwhile, more than half did not understand the actions the government has taken to reduce carbon emissions.

“Most Australians are supportive of the energy transition, but there’s not a strong belief that it’s already underway”, Mr. Clark said.

“The challenge is that the public is generally unaware of the actions being taken and progress made towards net zero.”

Ipsos’s Concerns About ‘Misinformation’

Ipsos also expressed concerns about the “misinformation” on the energy transition among the public.

The market research firm pointed out that 51 percent of those surveyed said there were too many conflicting opinions in the public arena.

At the same time, the survey found that many people also believed in contentious statements about the transition.

For example, over two-thirds of respondents thought the transition could lead to a rise in household energy prices, and 58 percent believed electric cars were as bad for the planet as petrol cars.

Half of the people also believed building more solar and wind farms was taking away the best agricultural land and that more renewable energy projects would result in more blackouts and brownouts.

Mr. Clark said the government and businesses should tackle the misinformation and focus on communicating with the public about their “positive actions and plans.”

“People need to understand the plans, and the transition needs to feel real,” he said.