British government survey finds support for hydraulic fracturing waning for members of the public aged 16 or older. Photo by David Gaylor/Shutterstock

LONDON, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- A survey from the British government found waning support for the extraction of shale natural gas in the country, with opposition linked to awareness.

The British Department of Energy and Climate Change interviewed 2,118 people face-to-face on their stance on the nation's energy mix. Between June 24 and June 28, 46 percent of the respondents told surveyors they had no opinion on hydraulic fracturing to draw natural gas from shale. But for those who did have an opinion, more people, 28 percent, told the interviewers they opposed it, against 21 percent who expressed support.


"This shift towards more opposition has happened gradually over the last 18 months, with support currently at its lowest since the survey began [in 2012]," the DECC's report said.

The shale natural gas sector in the country is in its infancy. In June, the county council in Lancashire voted to refuse a permit for shale pioneer Cuadrilla Resources to start a hydraulic fracturing campaign in the Preston New Road and Roseacre Wood sites. The council said it refused the applications because of noise and visual impact concerns, and "potentially severe" impacts on road infrastructure and traffic, respectively.

The British Geological Survey in 2013 estimated shale basins in the country may hold more than 1.3 quadrillion cubic feet of natural gas, a level the government said could help an economy with natural gas imports on pace to increase from 45 percent of demand in 2011 to 76 percent by 2030.

Cuadrilla estimates there may be as much as 200 trillion cubic feet of shale natural gas in Lancashire.

The company has been the target of protests at least since 2013, when protests turned unruly in the southern village of Balcombe.

The British survey found support was tied to awareness, with more than half of those who said they knew "a lot" about hydraulic fracturing expressing disapproval during the interviews.

"The only group to be more supportive is those that haven't heard of fracking, of whom 12 percent support it and 7 percent oppose it," the survey said.

The survey was of public opinions from those aged 16 or older. Data were weighed for sex, age, social grade, region and tenure. No margin of error was given for the results.