New polling from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), conducted by More in Common in the days before the elections, reveals that the cost of living crisis was the dominant concern for voters going to the polls, with energy bills the single biggest pressure driving that anxiety.
In England, the cost of living was the top issue determining voting intention, cited by 39% of voters, with energy bills (62%), food shopping (61%) and fuel costs (39%) the three biggest specific concerns.
In Scotland, tackling the cost of living came top at 50%, with energy bills (62%), food shopping (63%) and fuel costs (39%) again the leading pressures.
In Wales, the cost of living was cited by 49% of voters as the top issue, with energy bills and food bills (both 61%) and fuel costs (46%) the primary concerns.
A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition said:
“Voters’ number one cost of living concern going into the Scottish, Welsh and English elections was energy bills, and the results reflect a demand for bold action that has been too slow to materialise.
“Yet energy companies generated over £26.2 billion in profits in the first three months of 2026 alone, and some party leaders are pushing to hand them a further tax break. 74% of the public believe it is morally wrong for oil and gas companies to profit by billions from this crisis, and voters are right to be angry.
“The challenge now is for governments at every level to translate voters’ clear priorities into action. That means holding the line on the Windfall Tax, using those revenues to protect households from the July price rise, and ending the over-reliance on expensive oil and gas that has driven this crisis from the start.”
The polling also challenges any reading of the results as a mandate for rolling back the drive for clean energy, which is designed to help reduce the UK’s exposure to volatile oil and gas prices.
In England, only 12% of those intending to vote Reform cited reversing climate policies as a driver of their support. In Scotland, the figure was just 7% among potential Reform voters and 5% among those planning to vote Conservative. In Wales, only around one in ten Reform voters said reversing climate policies was an important issue.
Support for renewable energy remains strong across all three nations. In England, 70% of voters back onshore wind, 72% back offshore wind and 73% back solar farms.
Even among potential Reform voters, majorities support onshore wind (56%), offshore wind (66%) and solar farms (59%). In Scotland, support for offshore wind among potential Reform voters stood at 65%. In Wales, nearly six in ten voters overall said a party’s commitment to tackling climate change was an important issue in the Senedd election.