Britain’s choice and how we talk about climate

Using More in Common’s core belief model, we have mapped seven distinct groups of Great Britain according to their shared values and beliefs, and developed a toolkit full of recommendations and guidance for engaging across the seven segments and avoiding a culture war on climate change.

Britain is not a country that is divided into two opposing camps, but distinct fragments of a kaleidoscope that come together in different ways, depending on the issue at hand. For instance, the left-wing and politically vocal ‘Progressive Activists’ are on the opposite side of the spectrum from the patriotic ‘Loyal Nationals’ on the issue of immigration, but both groups are very worried about, and seek radical policy solutions for climate change. 

In fact, climate change is a unifying topic for these British segments, regardless of age, politics, income, or class. Overall, 70% of Britons understand that climate change is real and caused by human activity, 57% say that we are already feeling the effects of climate change in the UK, and 62% want the UK to be one of the most ambitious countries in the world on climate change. 

While there is unity on some things, the way the segments engage with the issue differs in important ways. Among the key findings, we see that climate change concern isn’t dropping off a cliff due to Covid-19, and there’s a strong impetus for change across most segments. The majority across all segments don’t want things to go back to normal after the pandemic, they want things to be better – but there are many different visions for what this future will be. 

Moving forward, it is crucial to maintain this sense of unity and collectivism. We need to bring all of Britain forward on climate action, to engage with all the fragments of the kaleidoscope to piece together a greener, more unified Britain.