IPR Research Notes

Energizing America
Polls hint at what public wants in a national energy policy

Winter 2008 , Volume 30, Number 1

Skyrocketing crude oil prices, yo-yo gas pricing, and growing awareness of global warming have all put formulating a national energy policy back on America’s political map.

On December 19, President Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which included the first increase in corporate average fuel economy standards since 1975 and requires domestic production of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022.

While signing the bill was a step forward in formulating a national energy policy, IPR Director Fay Lomax Cook and graduate research assistant Toby Bolsen contend that although there has been much rhetoric about a national energy strategy, no comprehensive national policy exists. They argue that a large part of developing a national energy policy lies in examining what the public thinks about various aspects of existing energy sources, strategies, conservation efforts, and foreign oil dependency.

To gauge public understanding, Cook and Bolsen reviewed trends in public opinion polls such as Gallup and Roper from 1974 to 2006 on traditional energy sources, alternative energy sources, and citizens’ priorities on energy alternatives. They find that public concern about the U.S. energy situation is as high as it was during the nation’s first energy crises in the 1970s, with polls in March 2006 showing citizens even a bit more concerned about today’s energy situation.

Overall, they find a public engaged by energy issues and frustrated by President Bush’s and Congress’ long-term handling of them. Little is known about how Americans view alternative energy sources, though the polls do frequently ask about nuclear energy options. On this issue, the researchers find rising support for nuclear energy in the intervening years between the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl disasters. They also show that citizens support conservation efforts through energy efficient appliances, vehicles, and homes and offices rather than higher fuel taxes at the pump.

Though Cook and Bolsen give some indication of what Americans might like to see in a national energy policy, they also stress that much remains to be done to flesh out a comprehensive understanding of what Americans think about current and future energy policies and priorities.

The IPR working paper “Public Opinion on Energy Policy, 1974-2006” by Toby Bolsen and Fay Lomax Cook is available at www.northwestern.edu/ipr/publications/workingpapers/wpS07.html. Cook is professor of human development and social policy and an IPR faculty fellow. Bolsen is a doctoral student in political science.