article: 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.'
highlights: 42 per cent of those polled said they support shale gas extraction .
  Greatest support among men and the over-65s, survey reveals .
  Results were hidden in footnote to a Greenpeace press release .
prediction: More people in Britain back fracking than are opposed to it, a Greenpeace survey 
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