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Survey shows young Scots are snap-happy around wind turbines


By Alan Hendry

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Student Iain Gallacher (22) took this picture of Whitelee Wind Farm near Glasgow.
Student Iain Gallacher (22) took this picture of Whitelee Wind Farm near Glasgow.

More than a quarter of a million young Scots have taken a picture of a wind turbine while out and about in the Scottish countryside, a new study has found.

Forty-five per cent of people aged 16-24 who were questioned said they had snapped a picture of a turbine – and 75 per cent of those say they did so because they like the way it looked.

Scotland's largest wind farm – Whitelee, south of Glasgow – is said to have been tagged almost 13,000 times on Instagram.

Polling agency Survation also asked Scottish people aged 16-24 for their views of renewable energy. Ninety per cent said they feel renewable energy technologies such as wind turbines have a role to play in tackling climate change.

Industry body Scottish Renewables welcomed the results.

Claire Mack, the organisation’s chief executive, said: “We already know that concern about the impact of climate change is rising, and this new research shows the efforts we’re taking to tackle it are finding favour too.

“The UK government’s own figures show us that support for onshore wind power is near an all-time high – figures which were reflected in research carried out specifically in rural Scotland by Scottish Renewables in autumn 2018.

“The young Scots questioned as part of this survey are people who will be most affected by climate change in the near future, so it’s hugely encouraging that they are so positive about renewable energy’s role in tackling its effects before they happen.”

The results of this survey, which looked at how young people view renewable energy developments such as wind turbines, also found that 67 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds in Scotland support the use of onshore wind to generate power, with seven per cent opposed.


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