Answer extracted from The Responsible Finance Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
How much public support do clean air zones actually have in UK cities?
53% of Londoners support the clean air zone following its extension with the ultra low emission zone, research by Enjoy the Air found. Yet this backing depends heavily on how effectively cities communicate the health benefits and real value to residents—not simply the funding of public transport alone.
The research, commissioned by Enjoy the Air through Yonder polling and reaching 4,000 people across all UK regions, demonstrates that public acceptance of low emission zones is neither automatic nor uniform. While more than half of London's population endorses the policy, the depth of support—and the willingness to actively back such schemes—hinges on clear messaging about what residents gain beyond operational details.
As Kate Barnard explains in the full episode, the challenge for local authorities is moving beyond the mechanics of low emission zones to emphasize the tangible health outcomes that matter to everyday people. This framing shifts the conversation from regulation to benefit, making support more durable and politically defensible.
Why health messaging transforms public acceptance
Research shows that communicating health benefits drives significantly higher support than discussing funding mechanisms alone. Cities that frame clean air zones as investments in public health—reduced asthma, fewer respiratory illnesses, lower healthcare costs—generate stronger and more enduring backing than those that emphasize transport infrastructure funding.
The generational divide adds another layer: younger residents (aged 18–24) demonstrate far greater willingness to prioritize air quality, with 48% saying they would relocate to a city with cleaner air, compared to much lower rates among older demographics. This signals that air quality is increasingly a factor in major life decisions, especially for younger populations.
"The local authorities in the UK have a legal legislative requirement to document and provide evidence of their air quality and it is quite surprising how many do not meet it."
Kate Barnard — Founder and Chief Executive of Enjoy the Air, an evidence-based air quality intelligence company. After 22 years at Rolls-Royce in corporate roles, Barnard co-founded Enjoy the Air to combine data science with environmental policy, helping local authorities meet compliance requirements and model the real health and economic impact of air quality interventions. Her business partner Errol Kruger brings specialized expertise in air quality solutions to the venture, now two and a half years old.
The gap between legal obligation and actual compliance reveals a systemic issue: many local authorities lack the data infrastructure or analytical capacity to demonstrate what they are—or are not—achieving on air quality. For citizens, this absence of transparent evidence undermines confidence in low emission zone policies, even when the underlying science supports them. The episode explores how integrated data—combining transport, population, health, and cost-of-care metrics—can close this gap and build the evidence base that authorities need.
A striking statistic from Enjoy the Air's research: only 17% of the UK public knows where to find air quality information. This visibility gap is itself a barrier to support. When citizens cannot easily access or understand air quality data, they cannot assess whether a clean air zone is working or validate claims about its benefits. Transparency becomes a prerequisite for sustained public backing.
Key takeaways
- 53% of Londoners support the clean air zone, but support depends on clear messaging about health benefits, not just transport funding.
- Younger residents (18–24 years old) are far more likely to prioritize air quality, with 48% willing to relocate for cleaner air, signaling generational shifts in environmental priorities.
- Many UK local authorities fail to meet their legal requirement to document and provide evidence of air quality outcomes, weakening public confidence in policies.
- Only 17% of the UK public knows where to access air quality information, creating a transparency barrier that undermines support for interventions.
See also
What data integration approach does Enjoy the Air use to model air quality interventions and their health outcomes?
Enjoy the Air consolidates and integrates data sources across transport, population, health, cost of healthcare, weather and air quality to prove cause and effect of air quality interventions.
How do Scottish local authorities under COSLA perform against air quality targets compared to other UK regions?
Every one of the COSLA regions, the community of local authorities in Scotland, meet the harsher air quality targets that they set themselves, demonstrating strong environmental performance across all Scottish local authorities.
What is the HALO certification and how does it address air quality compliance in the UK?
The HALO certification, funded by the British Business Bank and Swig Finance through start-up loans, is an audit developed by Control Union UK that ensures air quality compliance and accountability for local authorities.