Gas prices change Americans' views on energy, drilling in ANWR
Published Tuesday, July 1, 2008
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Stumble It!WASHINGTON -- High gasoline prices have dramatically changed Americans' views on energy and the environment with more people now viewing oil drilling and new power plants as a greater priority than energy conservation than they did five months ago, according to a new survey.
The poll released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center shows nearly half of those surveyed — or 47 percent — now rate energy exploration, drilling and building new power plants as the top priority, compared with 35 percent who believed that five months ago.
The Pew poll, conducted in late June, showed the number of people who consider energy conservation as more important declined by 10 percentage points since February from a clear majority to 45 percent. People are now about evenly split on which is more important.
The number of people who said they considered increasing energy supplies more important than protecting the environment increased from 54 percent in February to 60 percent and the number of people who favor oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge also increased.
"This shows the real impact of higher gas prices on the public," said Carroll Doherty, associate director for the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, which commissioned the telephone survey of 2,004 adults from June 18 to June 29. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, slightly larger for subgroups.
Since February, gasoline prices have soared from just over $3 to a national average of $4.08 a gallon, according to the Energy Department.
The shift toward embracing more energy production was seen across different age and political groups, reflecting a change in attitudes among Democrats, independents, women, and young people — all groups that in the past have generally championed conservation over energy development.
The survey comes as Congress is in the midst of a bitter debate over how to respond to the country's energy problems and as the two major presidential candidates also are sharply divided on energy priorities.
GOP candidate John McCain has called for building more nuclear power plants and ending a blanket moratorium on drilling in 85 percent of the country's coastal waters. His rival, Democrat Barack Obama, has emphasized incentives for conservation and development of alternative energy sources and opposes expanded offshore drilling.
Likewise, Democrats have been pushing for more conservation and energy alternatives in Congress and argued the country cannot drill its way out of its energy problems. Congressional Republicans argue the answer is more domestic energy production, including on federal lands and waters off limits because of environmental concerns.
The Pew poll, however, showed Republicans and Democrats moving closer together on the production vs. conservation dispute. The number of Democrats who said they saw increased production as the top priority jumped by 16 percentage points since February to 46 percent. Republicans holding that view declined from about half to 43 percent.
With the exception of the Arctic refuge, the poll did not address any specific energy proposals such as whether to lift drilling moratoria in some ocean waters, the pros and cons of nuclear energy, or the environmental impacts of coal burning power plants on global warming.
It sought to address general energy priorities, said Doherty.
Among the survey's most astounding findings is the dramatic increase in a span of five months in the support for energy exploration and production among groups that have traditionally championed conservation as being the answer to the country's energy problems.
For example, the percentage of liberals who said expanding energy exploration was their most important priority doubled from 22 percent in February to 45 percent; increased by 19 points to 50 percent among independents; and by 18 points to 46 percent among women.
Young people, who in the past have overwhelmingly leaned toward conservation, saw the most dramatic shift. Just over half of the people from 18 to 29 years of age saw expanding energy exploration more important, double the number in February.
The poll showed people remain sharply divided over oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which is now off limits. But in the June survey the number of people favoring drilling there increased to 50 percent, compared to 42 percent last February. Those who opposed drilling fell from 50 percent to 43 percent.
Public frustration over high gas prices and a warming toward more energy production has surfaced elsewhere as well.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's Web site calling on people to sign a petition to "drill here, drill now" has recorded more than 1.2 million hits.
Community Discussion
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The polling seems to ask energy questions in an odd way. Of course all three; conservation, increased production, and alternative fuels, need to be a part of any rational plan and all three need to be started on now. Conservation is the only option to have a short-run influence while increased production can provide a mid-term influence while also helping to fund alternatives (long-tern solution) through taxation (which would further encourage conservation).
Wonder if the "survey" mentioned the oil and gas leases that BIG OIL is sitting on and not developing? America needs energy production; what America doesn't need a land grab to lock up more energy resources.
Responsible energy development and good corporation conduct, along with energy conservation and alternative energy projects need to be the battle cry. Guess that leaves EXXON out of the picture???
>Responsible energy development and good corporation conduct, along with energy conservation and alternative energy projects need to be the battle cry. Guess that leaves EXXON out of the picture???
That is right. But why would the big XX want to increase production and possibly drive the price down? Of course this is short sighted because eventually the economy is going to collapse under the weight, but for now they are breaking records for any corporation in earnings so in their view, why fix something that ain't broke? So long as prices remain high there is a better chance that McCain will get elected on his pro-drilling, pro- nuclear platform. That would possibly get them an even more sympathetic supreme court justice or 2, for the next big lawsuit. There simply isn't a compelling reason in the short term for them to actually start drilling seriously.
How about and educated explanation: DUH!
Too bad that drilling for more oil won't solve anything.
I'm glad people are finally noticing reality. Oil, like all materials, is about supply and demand.
Alaska needs to create a new source of energy. I think a couple billion dollars should be spent on Hydrogen production using massive but cheap($1 per watt) solar power plants. The hydrogen can be produced almost 24/7 in the summer and be sold to the US market or burned up in remote power plants in alaska. Imagine what we could do with hydrogen, its the cleanest fuel you can use as it's the most basic element that exists and it easily produces energy with oxygen. Alaska needs to do a few things which are invest, invest, invest. When these oil hungry people suck all the oil from alaska including ANWR and oil companies fail to find more oil, Alaska is screwed and will not matter anymore to the US economy driving up energy prices here.
--->akbearable---> I agree >"That is right. But why would the big XX want to increase production and possibly drive the price down?"
How about instituting some form of sanctions on those who do not produce?
--->MEL1776--->" Of course all three; conservation, increased production, and alternative fuels, need to be a part of any rational plan and all three need to be started on now."
We must as a nation as a state as the human race conserve increase and develop alternative energy sources. As well as bring some value back to the dollar. Anything else is just building a house with sticks. or worse yet out of straw!!
Want to see the dollar come back? Then we have to quit buying foreign oil and start producing it at home. Bore Brother Bore!
i have to hand it to the average idealistic american consumer. i thought they'd start selling out their environmental values when gas hit 3 bucks a gallon (along with price increases in everything related to fuel). but they lasted until it was $4.00. i wonder what they will do when it is 6 dollars a gallon?
blah blah blah
I personally dont believe for one second that we are even in a supply and demand crisis, I think its a BS crisis started by folks aiming to get rich. If we had a true crisis like the picture folks keep trying to draw or like we had in the late 70's we'd see an interruption of some sort nationwide. Last time I checked the stations have gas, the reserves have oil, the only thing that has changed in the last 6 months is the price and the strength of the world market! With that said I do believe we need to pull our heads out of our arses and start drilling and building for energy supplies for the future because we arent even remotely independent when it comes to energy and that needs to change. The bla bla bla about the environment might finally get ignored now that the nation is hurting!
Yeah what a dumb idea drill for our own oil and be less dependant on foreign oil. Open anwr and every other oil field in america and do it now. Great post's Alaskacub and ONAPA
Drilling and using up our domestic oil reserves is stupid and not worth the cost. We should have invested in alternative sources of energy in the 70s and we would be in a much better position today. As it is, we need to learn from our mistakes of the past rather than continually making the same idiotic mistakes over and over. Stay out of the Arctic Refuge and coastal areas and invest in our most plentiful renewable resource, American ingenuity. Lets move forward with intelligent alternative energy sources.
Thanks to Bill Clinton. If he hadn't of used his veto power we could have already been producing oil from ANWR
Again, it's amazing how stupid you people are.
Do you really understand what the "price of oil" is?
It's a future. That means that somebody is guessing what it will cost, and has nothing, at all, to do with supply or demand.
Grr.
Nevermind. You just want to drill for the sake of drilling without understanding the market, the product, the value, or the worth of what you're discussing, so why do I even bother?
Drill. Sure. Idiots.
The US loves to take advantage of alaska and "drill" it hard.
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