These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
71% Say Government Response To Oil Leak Important To Their Vote
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Seventy-one percent (71%) of U.S. Voters rate the government's response to the Gulf oil leak as at least somewhat important in terms of how they will vote in November, with 35% who say it is Very Important.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 27% of Likely Voters say the government's response is not very or not at all important to their upcoming vote.
The Obama administration has come under increasing criticism for its response to the two-month-old - and continuing - oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, which President Obama has labeled the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history .
But voters are closely divided over the president's assessment in his first Oval Office address to the nation Tuesday night that the oil leak will shape how we think about environmental and energy issues in the future as much as our foreign policy has been influenced by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Thirty-seven percent (37%) think the president is right, but 33% disagree. Thirty percent (30%) more are undecided.
The president in his address outlined aggressive steps toward the development of clean energy alternatives to fossil fuels. Sixty-five percent (65%) of voters agree that finding new sources of energy is more important than reducing the amount of energy Americans now consume. Just 27% think energy conservation is more important.
This is consistent with findings back to August 2008 when gas prices at the pump were soaring. It's important to note, however, that the question does not specify whether these new sources of energy come from expanded oil drilling or the development of clean energy alternatives.
The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on June 15-16, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC . See methodology .
Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters continue to believe offshore oil drilling should be allowed despite the environmental disaster in the Gulf.
Voters are a little less supportive of increased government regulation of such drilling. Forty-three percent (43%) favor more government regulation of offshore oil drilling, down three points from a month ago , while 39% are opposed, up four points from the previous survey. Eighteen percent (18%) are not sure.
Seventy-one percent (71%) say they have followed news reports about the president's televised White House speech on the Gulf oil leak at least somewhat closely. This includes 37% who say they have followed Very Closely.
Through the beginning of this month, there's been no indication that the president's overall job approval ratings are being hurt by his handling of the oil leak.
Female voters rate the government's response to the oil leak as more important to their vote than men do. Voters 50 and older put more weight on the government's response in terms of how they will vote than those who are younger.
Sixty-one percent (61%) of Democrats favor more government regulation of offshore oil drilling, but 59% of Republicans think that's bad idea. Voters not affiliated with either party are evenly divided on the question.
Democrats tend to agree with the president that the Gulf leak will have as profound an impact on future environmental and energy policies as 9/11 did on foreign policy. GOP voters tend to disagree, and unaffiliateds are closely divided.
Sixty-nine percent (69%) of Americans agree with the president that the oil companies involved with the Gulf leak should be required to pay back everyone who lost income because of the oil spill.
Voters are increasingly critical of BP, the company responsible for drilling where the oil leak erupted, and 51% say they are likely to boycott BP because of the incident.
However, 67% of Americans believe it is at least somewhat likely the leak could have been prevented if the government did a better job of inspecting offshore oil drilling rigs .
Besides the obvious environmental concerns about the oil leak, most Americans also now worry about how it will impact the economy .
Americans think the news media is doing a better job of reporting on the oil leak than it's done on several other recent major issues.