The majority of British adults don’t think the government will achieve its Net Zero target by 2050, according to a new poll by YouGov.

In the survey, 75% said they felt it was either very unlikely (40%) or fairly unlikely (35%), while another 16% ‘don’t know’.

Only 10% believe the government will be very (2%) or fairly (8%) likely to meet the goal.

It comes after the launch of the new ‘Powering Up Britain’ Net Zero strategy last week which set out just how the 2050 target would be met across a whole variety of sectors and initiatives.

The report was noted for its lack of update on proposed changes to Energy Performance Certificate rules for landlords. There has been no official news on these plans since the initial consultation two years ago.

As it stands, the proposal was for this to be raised from a minimum E to C rating for new tenancies by 2025 and for all tenancies by 2028.

The most optimistic for the government’s chances of success in meeting the net zero target are among the 18 to 24-year-olds, but only marginally more so than for all ages.

A total of 4% of 18-24s said they thought the government was very likely to meet the goal, while 12% said it was very likely.

The most sceptical are among the older age groups with 46% of both the 50-64s and 65+ categories saying it was very unlikely.