Nearly a third of people would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supports fracking in their constituency, according to polling for Greenpeace.
The environmental group said the poll showed that backing the shale industry, which hopes to explore for and extract gas and oil through fracking in a number of areas in the UK, could be “political suicide” for candidates in key marginal seats.
The ComRes poll of 2,035 people found that 31% would be less likely to vote for a candidate who backed fracking in their local area, compared with 13% who said they would be more likely to vote for them.
Some 44% said it would have no impact on the way they voted.
A fifth of Labour voters said they were “much less likely” to vote for a candidate who backed fracking in their constituency, as did one in 10 Conservative voters, almost a quarter (23%) of Liberal Democrat supporters and 16% of Ukip backers.
At least 35 of the seats being targeted in the Tories’ election strategy are in areas licensed for fracking, as are 11 Labour and eight Lib Dem seats held with a swing of 2% or less, making the issue potentially key for marginal constituencies, Greenpeace said.
Greenpeace UK climate and energy campaigner Sam Pearse said: “Candidates from across the political spectrum have started feeling the heat over fracking, and our survey shows why.
“Fracking is proving such a huge turn-off for voters that backing this industry would be nothing less than political suicide for many candidates in key marginal seats.
“For once our politicians can do something that is in their interests, as well as the interests of their constituents, their country and the planet.
“They can ditch a fracking industry that will deliver too little too late, if anything at all, whilst leaving us more dependent on dangerous fossil fuels, and back instead the clean energy sources that hold the promise of cheaper bills and safe energy.”
Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth have launched the Frack Free Promise, an online platform that candidates can sign up to pledging their opposition to fracking.
So far 403 Green Party candidates, 100 Labour candidates, 105 Lib Dems, 23 Plaid Cymru, seven SNP and seven Ukip candidates have signed the pledge, along with 137 other candidates, but no Conservatives have signed up so far.
Friends of the Earth fracking campaigner Donna Hume said: “The scale of support for our Frack Free Promise will leave parliamentary candidates in little doubt as to the political toxicity of fracking.”
She warned: “The scale of the planetary crisis is such that decisions made in the next parliament will make or break our chances of preventing dangerous climate change.
“Whoever is elected must consign fracking and the reckless dash for shale gas to the dustbin of history.”
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