Building public support for clean air

Key info:

• Partner: Stonehaven 
• Amount: £240,000 
• Duration: Two years 
• Programme: Health effects of air pollution

What are we doing together?

To improve health in our cities, we need cleaner air. And clean air initiatives need widespread public support to be effective. That’s why we’re funding Stonehaven to deliver Refresh Britain, a public-facing campaign to inspire, inform, and galvanise support for clean air in neighbourhoods across the UK. 

Despite the benefits for our health, efforts to improve air quality are seen as a contentious issue, especially in political circles. Conversations are dominated by the compromises people will have to make and what they may have to “sacrifice” for cleaner air. This framing of clean air policies has created a political deadlock.

With Refresh Britain we are seeking to break this deadlock by building the environment for change. Refresh Britain is a solutions-focused campaign using a simple message – “Cleaner air = a better life” – designed to shift the narrative to focus on what people and communities stand to gain from clean air policies.

Refresh Britain is calling for a suite of policy changes to reduce air pollution and improve local communities, with a focus on refreshing homes, transport, streets, and town centres. By securing public support, the campaign will help politicians and policymakers to see clean air as a priority issue politically.

The campaign is based on extensive qualitative and quantitative insights into voters’ values and motivations, originally commissioned by the Clean Air Fund (CAF), which have informed the strategy, creative and tactical activation of the partnership at all stages. 

Aim of the partnership

We are funding this work because we want the next government to introduce the necessary policies to improve air quality. This can only be achieved by shifting the public narrative on clean air.

This partnership complements the campaigning work we are funding with the Healthy Air Coalition, Asthma + Lung UK, and others which directly targets national policymakers. We hope to secure clean air commitments in the 2024 election manifestos of all the major parties. This will set the scene for further action over the course of the next government.

Connection to our strategy

A priority for our Health effects of air pollution programme is to reduce air pollution for those whose health is most adversely affected. This partnership will make national policy change more likely, and ultimately improve health for those people most impacted by poor air.