Views towards government action regarding coal-fired power plants

Q. Which of the following statements regarding the future of coal is closest to your view?

	Nov’20	Feb’20
The government should be working to shut down mines and coal-fired power plants as soon as possible	31%	32%
The government should let the coal mining industry and coal-fired power plants continue operating as long as they are profitable, but not subsidise them or support the expansion of the industry	52%	47%
The government should subsidise coal-fired power plants to keep them going and provide financial support for new mines and other projects in the coal industry	17%	21%
Base (n)	1,034	1,090

• Compared to earlier this year, fewer people think the government should subsidise coal-fired power plants to keep them going and provide financial support for new mines and other projects in the coal industry (17% in November, compared to 21% in February).
• Consequently, more people now think the government should let the coal mining industry and coal-fired power plants continue operating as long as they are profitable, but not subsidise them or support the expansion of the industry (47% to 52%).
• The proportion of those preferring the immediate closure of coal-fired power plants has remained constant.