In autumn 2023, ACAN surveyed 35 households on the Ackender Hill estate, a quarter of the residents living there at the time. The findings mirror the results of our 2022 survey of 120 households in the Whitedown area of Alton. The summary report (5 pages) is available here:

97% of respondents considered that climate change was either “very important” (51%) or “quite important” (46%), with a clear majority believing that the climate crisis will affect them and/or their families directly (74%).

Many people showed an understanding of the need for “radical” changes, and complained about a lack of leadership from politicians. The survey deliberately used the word “radical” in connection with “changes”, but this did not deter people from agreeing with the statement that “radical changes are needed” (22 out of the 35 respondents agreed).

When it came to issues that people would like to see tackled in their community, the top three were Wildlife-friendly gardening, Energy Consumption, and Litter, closely followed by Growing your own Food (see Figure 5 from the report reproduced below). Groups in the ACAN network are active in all these areas, and follow-up information has been given to residents.