This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: This summer broke records around the U.K. for maximum temperatures and dry weather. According to the U.K.'s Met Office, while it was rare to hit 35°C (95°F) in the 20th century, that temperature has been surpassed in six out of the past 10 years.
And temperatures are only expected to get higher. Rising temperatures contribute not only to illness and deaths but also to wildfires, water shortages and the collapse of infrastructure and services. So has this changed the public's attitudes at all?
According to recent polling data, around 74% of people in the U.K. say they've directly experienced extreme heat, up from 46% before the summer of 2026. And 62% now say extreme heat is the most pressing climate impact, up from 36% in October 2024. Concern about wildfires has jumped from 13% in October 2024 to 47% in 2026.
High temperatures made more than 50% of British people more fearful about the future, including how hot summers will affect children. One poll found that 65% of the British public were now concerned about climate change, and only 16% were unworried. Among Reform supporters, 46% were concerned, compared with 87% of Green Party supporters.
Polling shows that climate change and the environment shot up people's lists of concerns in 2026, with 51% of people saying the recent heat waves made them feel it's more important that the U.K. government and businesses tackle climate change. The issue saw less of a jump in concern levels in Scotland, where temperatures were generally lower. Indeed, public support for specific climate and environmental policies increased slightly from April to August 2026.
For example, net support for a frequent flyer levy rose from 18% to 20% and for low-traffic neighborhoods from 14% to 18%. This is a noticeable shift even from a few years ago—when scientists at the Center for Climate Change and Social Transformations research center asked people about their experiences of the 2022 heat wave, many still saw heat as desirable. In the middle of summer 2026, British people said they associated the weather with words including "exhausted," "uncomfortable" and "unbearable".
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