The British public stand behind the UK oil and gas sector, with 63% supporting continued domestic oil production. New polling commissioned by Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) reveals key insights from voters across the political spectrum on some of the most important issues affecting the energy sector.
The nationally representative survey of the UK was conducted by Opinium following the government’s decision to give the go-ahead to the new Jackdaw gas field which will supply 1.4 million homes, and ahead of the long-awaited decision on the Rosebank oil field
The polling conducted by Opinium, showed 72% of 2024 Labour voters agree with the statement ‘oil and gas are essential for the foreseeable future’ and a further 62% agree that stopping using oil and gas would cause significant damage to the economy.
This aligns with OEUK’s argument that while demand for oil and gas remains high, the Government should support British business rather than continue to rely on expensive imports.
The survey also showed 62% of 2024 Labour Party voters believe the UK should continue to produce oil to meet domestic demand, with 57% agreeing that the UK should increase its domestic oil and gas production.
This is alongside majorities of Liberal Democrat (66%) and Conservative (84%) voters’ support for continuing UK oil production. The results demonstrate that large swathes of the British public support the sector and want to use the UK’s resources to boost British industry.
Reflecting on the recent Government decision to greenlight the Jackdaw gas field, 68% of polled Labour Party voters agreed that it was the correct decision, with only 17% disagreeing with the Government. There is broad support for Jackdaw across supporters of all major political parties except for the Greens, as well as across all ages and UK regions.
On the subject of the upcoming decision on the Rosebank oil field, polled Labour opinion was also supportive. 65% of those who voted Labour in 2024 said that the Government should approve Rosebank, with only 17% saying it should be rejected. This demonstrates that the intense politicisation of this issue in the media is largely out of step with the British public, who are in 55% in favour of increasing domestic oil production and 63% in favour of approving Rosebank.
When considering the effects of approving Rosebank, 42% of Labour 2024 voters stated that Government approval of the project would cause them to view the Labour Party more favourably, whereas 33% said it would make no difference either way. Only 14% of the Labour voter sample said it would make them view the party less favourably. Asked about the environmental arguments for the UK oil sector, that North Sea production creates fewer emissions during extraction than in many other countries, 48% of 2024 Labour voters said this would make them more likely to support production. This was compared to 7% who said it would make them less likely to support, and 33% for whom it would make no difference.
Other data from the survey showed men have a more favourable view of the UK’s oil and gas industry than women, 46% compared to 33%. Furthermore, at 39% a higher percentage of 18-34 year olds view the industry positively than those aged 35-49 (31%) or those aged 50-64 (35%).
David Whitehouse chief executive of Offshore Energies UK said:
'These results offer government an opportunity to align with public opinion and start working through the pipeline of North Sea projects that are awaiting approval.
'The public are clearly in agreement with the new Prime Minister’s ‘pragmatic’ policy on the North Sea, which will once again be tested as the final decision on Rosebank is made in the coming months.
'Investing in North Sea energy strengthens Britain’s economy, supports UK supply chains and industrial communities, and builds our energy resilience.'
Method note: Opinium conducted a nationally and politically representative sample of 2,050 UK adults aged 18 and over between 28th-30th October 2026.
Source: OEUK
