Gallup: US public values environment over energy
http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=3D26941
March 22, 2007 Public Favors Environment Protection Over Energy Production as =
Priority for U.S. Concern about energy remains high
by Jeffrey M. Jones Page: 1, 2 Next GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ — Even though public concern about the energy =
situation in the United States remains high, Gallup’s annual =
Environment Poll finds that Americans are more likely than ever to =
say that the government should put a higher priority on protecting =
the environment than on increasing energy production. When given a =
choice, Americans are also more likely to prefer conservation of =
existing energy supplies than increased production of energy. The =
poll, conducted Mar. 11-14, 2007, finds a slight drop in concern =
about the United States’ energy situation compared to last year, =
though concern is still high by historical levels. The public =
continues to give President George W. Bush low marks for his energy =
policies.
Since 2001, Gallup has asked the American public to assess the trade- =
off between environmental protection and developing new energy =
supplies. In this year’s poll, 58% of Americans say protection of the =
environment should be given priority over energy production and =
development, while 34% say the country’s priority should be =
developing new energy supplies. Americans have always sided with the =
environment on this question, but the 24-point margin in favor of the =
environment this year is the highest Gallup has measured to date, and =
is up considerably from the slim 49% to 42% margin found last year as =
rising gas prices increased Americans’ energy concerns.
When asked to choose, Americans by an even wider margin (64% to 26%) =
say conservation is the better approach to solving the nation’s =
energy problems than is placing a greater emphasis on energy =
production. The 38-point gap in favor of conservation is also the =
largest found in the seven years of Gallup’s Environment Poll.
Americans tend to show stronger support for pro-environment policies =
when economic conditions are considered good, and less support when =
the economy is slumping or there is a perceived energy shortage (as =
was the case last year). But the call for greater attention to =
environmental care in this year’s poll comes at a time when concern =
about energy is still high.
Thirty-seven percent of Americans now say the energy situation in the =
United States is “very serious,” down from 41% last year, but higher =
than the levels observed from 2002 to 2005 and not much lower than =
what Gallup measured in the late 1970s. Concern about energy peaked =
in May 2001, when the combination of rising gasoline prices and =
rolling blackouts in California due to energy shortages pushed the =
issue to the top of the public agenda.
Additionally, 43% say they personally worry “a great deal” about the =
availability and affordability of energy, with an additional 34% =
saying they worry “a fair amount.” Only twice in the last seven years =
has the percentage of Americans saying they worry “a great deal” been =
higher — in 2001 (46%) and last year (48%).
Looking ahead, a majority of Americans (53%) predict the United =
States will face a critical energy shortage in the next five years. =
These results are fairly typical of what Gallup has found over time.
The poll finds the public giving President Bush low marks for his =
handling of the energy issue. Only 26% of Americans say he is doing a =
good job of “improving the nation’s energy policy,” while 63% say he =
is doing a poor job. Those percentages are essentially unchanged from =
last year, when Bush received his worst review on this measure as =
president.
Approval of the way a president is handling specific aspects of his =
job usually rises and falls along with changes in his overall =
approval rating, which for Bush is now quite low at 35%. Still, the =
fact that Bush’s energy approval rating is below his overall rating =
suggests that this is a particular area of weakness for him.
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly =
selected national sample of 1,009 adults, aged 18 and older, =
conducted Mar. 11-14, 2007. For results based on this sample, one can =
say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to =
sampling and other random effects is =B13 percentage points. In =
addition to sampling error, question wording and practical =
difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into =
the findings of public opinion polls.