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."
Support for Offshore Oil Drilling Down To 58%
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
As the battle to contain the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico goes on, most voters continue to favor offshore oil drilling, but that support is down. Voters also remain critical of how President Obama and the companies involved are responding to the disaster.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 58% of U.S. voters continue to believe offshore oil drilling should be allowed, down six points from two weeks ago . Twenty percent (20%) disagree and oppose offshore drilling. Another 21% are undecided.
The new numbers match findings in early May just after the oil rig explosion that led to the major leak off the coast of Louisiana. Seventy-two percent (72%) supported offshore drilling following the president's announcement at the end of March that he was lifting the ban on such drilling for the first time in years. He has since put that move on hold.
Most voters have consistently supported offshore oil drilling in surveys going back several years.
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of voters now rate the president's handling of the offshore drilling incident as good or excellent, up four points from two weeks ago but still down from the 43% who held that view just after the leak erupted. Thirty-four percent (34%) say the president is doing a poor job, little changed from the previous survey but up eight points from early May.
Twenty-three percent (23%) give British Petroleum (BP) and Transocean, the private companies associated with the leak, good or excellent marks for their response to the incident. Forty-one percent (41%) say they're doing a poor job. This is largely the same as two weeks ago. But in early May, 29% said the companies' response had been good or excellent, while 28% rated it poor.
The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on May 30-31, 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 .
Sixty-four percent (64%) of voters are at least somewhat concerned that offshore drilling will cause environmental problems. This includes 34% who are Very Concerned. Thirty-three percent (33%) are not very or not at all concerned about potential environmental problems associated with the drilling. These findings have changed little since the leak first began.
Interestingly, the number of voters who believe there is a conflict between economic growth and environmental protection is actually down slightly . Forty-four percent (44%) believe there is such a conflict, but 34% disagree. Another 22% are not sure.
Men remain much more supportive of offshore oil drilling than women are. Voters 18 to 29 are less supportive than those who are older.
Seventy-four percent (74%) of Republicans and 65% of voters not affiliated with either major party say offshore drilling should be allowed. Democratic voters are much more closely divided on the issue.
Eighty-five percent (85%) of Democrats and 62% of unaffiliated voters are concerned that offshore drilling will cause environmental problems. Most Republicans (51%) are not very or not at all concerned.
Democrats strongly believe Obama is doing a good or excellent job handling the Gulf crisis, a view not shared by Republicans and unaffiliated voters. But members of the president's party are more critical of the companies involved in the leak than GOP voters and unaffiliateds are.
Despite the continuing situation in the Gulf, most voters still don't think it's a good idea for the government to nationalize all the oil companies and run them on a non-profit basis. Seventy-six percent (76%) think offshore drilling is at least somewhat important in meeting the energy needs of the United States, with 47% who say it is Very Important.
Eighty-six percent (86%) of voters say they are following news reports about the offshore drilling incident in the Gulf at least somewhat closely.