Supporters and opponents of fracking in Scotland continue to be divided as to the merits of shale gas exploration, but more than half of those responding to a poll taken after Ineos landed its first shipments of US shale gas-derived ethane at its Grangemouth site said they favored continuing the government’s temporary moratorium. While many Scots are not opposed to natural gas exploitation per se, the Glasgow-based newspaper The Herald, which commissioned the poll, said “support evaporated when the word fracking was mentioned.”

Altogether, 54% of those questioned said they supported continuing the fracking ban, while 19% thought it should be rescinded, and the remainder said that neither option matched their views. The devolved government in Edinburgh has been under consistent pressure from chemical giant Ineos to lift the moratorium in place since January 2015. The Swiss-based group wants to explore for unconventional gas in Scotland’s Central Belt to replace oil-based feedstock in its production facilities.

The UK’s central government in London has fully embraced fracking, even to the extent of passing new rules allowing it to overturn local councils’ ban on the practice. However, these rules do not apply in Scotland. As it continues to grapple with a decision on whether to approve the controversial gas extraction method and how to regulate it approved, the Scottish government recently published preliminary results of a long-awaited study of the potential impact of fracking on the economy, public health, climate change, seismic activity, decommissioning, site restoration and aftercare as well as community level transportation impacts.

The economic analysis by consultants KPMG did not produce much encouragement for would-be drillers. It concluded that a homegrown shale industry would contribute only about 0.1% to Scotland’s GDP, while generating around £2.2 billion in revenue annually and create some 1,400 jobs. The supply chain could add another £1.2 billion, but profitability altogether would depend on the level of gas prices generally.

In its study of the seismic implications of drilling, the British Geological Survey found that the risk of earthquakes in Scotland was low, compared with the US and Canada, and any earth tremors would probably be too small to be felt. The climate change analysis, however, was more cautious. Here experts said “significant” exploitation would prevent Scotland from reaching its emissions targets unless activity were tightly regulated.

Results of the health impact study carried out by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) on behalf of the government were relatively inconclusive. After analyzing numerous peer-reviewed studies, the NHS said it found the evidence inadequate to justify any recommendations. However, it said there was “sufficient” evidence that respirable crystalline silica, a component of fluids used in the fracking process, could endanger the health of the industry’s workers.

In presenting details of the reports to the Scottish Parliament earlier this month, Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse said a public consultation will begin in January 2017 and a decision made before the year ends.