More people in Britain back fracking than are opposed to it , a Greenpeace survey has found . Some 42 per cent of those polled said they supported shale gas extraction , while 35 per cent disagreed with using the controversial technique . The anti-fracking environmental campaign group was accused of trying to bury the inconvenient survey result . More people in Britain back fracking than are opposed to it , a Greenpeace survey has found . The finding – hidden in a footnote to a Greenpeace press release – shows greater backing for the shale gas industry than other recent polls . Only 24 per cent of people said they supported fracking in a Department of Energy and Climate Change public attitudes survey published in February . A similar poll by YouGov in January put approval for extracting shale gas at 35 per cent and opposition at 41 per cent . The Greenpeace survey , carried out by ComRes , found greatest support among men ( 56 per cent ) and the over-65s ( 58 per cent ) . By contrast only 29 per cent of women backed fracking . The finding – hidden in a footnote to a Greenpeace press release – shows greater backing for the shale gas industry than other recent polls . Above , a drilling site in Balcombe , West Sussex . Greenpeace activists 'frack ' David Cameron 's countryside home last year . Above , a man puts up a sign on green barriers . Over 2,000 people marched and surrounded a drill rig by forming a human chain in West Sussex in 2013 . Other results of the study suggest the issue could help to swing the result in marginal constituencies at next month 's General Election , the campaign group claimed . Nearly a third of people would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supports fracking in their area , the polling found . Only 13 per cent would be more inclined to support them , although 44 per cent said it would have no impact on how they cast their vote . 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 two per cent or less . One in ten Conservative voters , nearly a quarter of Lib-Dem supporters and a fifth of Labour backers said they were 'much less likely ' to vote for a candidate in favour of fracking in their constituency . More than 800 people standing to be MPs next month have signed a pledge declaring their opposition to shale gas organised by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth . Environmental activists locked themselves together at the main entrance to the Cuadrilla exploratory drilling site in Balcombe . A camp in Balcombe was set up to protest against plans to drill for methane gas on a site just outside the village . They include 100 Labour candidates , 105 Lib Dems , 403 Greens , 23 Plaid Cymru , seven SNP and seven Ukip candidates . No Conservatives have added their names so far . Fracking , or hydraulic fracturing , is a method of extracting natural gas from rock deep underground by blasting it with a mixture of water , sand and chemicals . The industry claims it is a safe way of solving the energy crisis and produces fewer greenhouse gases than other fuel-production methods . But campaigners claim the technique poisons water supplies , industrialises the countryside and increases the risk of earthquakes . Ken Cronin , chief executive of fracking industry body UK Onshore Oil and Gas , said : 'This poll – ironically commissioned by people who oppose fracking – shows that when presented with the real facts about the safety and low environmental impact of shale gas operations , British people will support onshore oil and gas exploration . 'The poll also shows that 57 per cent people say that a candidate 's support for fracking either makes them more likely to vote in their favour or no difference . Greenpeace 's own facts simply do not support their rhetoric on fracking . ' A Greenpeace spokesman said : 'It 's odd for the fracking industry to be welcoming these latest figures . Compared to a similar survey from a year ago , public support for fracking has actually fallen . 'Even Tory voters say they are more likely to vote for a candidate opposing fracking in their constituencies than for someone who 's in favour of it . 'The government and the fracking lobby have thrown the kitchen sink at propping up dwindling public backing for this risky industry , and they have very little to show for it . '
42 per cent of those surveyed said they support shale gas extraction . Greatest support among men and the environment , polls reveals . results were published in footnote to a Greenpeace gas release .