Thread: Poll finds majority support for offshore drilling

Published: Sep 22, 2008 11:09 AM Modified: Sep 22, 2008 11:12 AM
Poll finds majority support for offshore drilling
From Staff Reports
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Two out of three North Carolinians favor offshore drilling, with most saying offshore oil should be available exclusively to people in the United States, according to a new poll by Elon University.
Of those surveyed, 69 percent support offshore drilling, and 79 percent say the oil and gas produced should go to U.S. customers only

The poll also found that 14 percent of those surveyed think offshore drilling would affect gas prices within a year, 29 percent expect an effect within one to five years, and 24 percent think it would take six to 10 years.

Experts differ on how soon and how much offshore drilling would affect gas prices. Some analysts think offshore oil production would not make a difference at the pump for at least 10 years, according to published reports.

Elon conducted the poll last week and released the results today. It has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.

The pollsters also found:

- A majority of residents, 67 percent, disapprove of the way President Bush is handling the national economy. Thirty-eight percent think the national economy is going to get worse in the next year, 22 expect it to stay about the same, and 35 percent think it will get better.

- Most respondents seem confident their personal financial situation will not take a major hit in the next year. Fifty percent say their situation will stay about the same, and 30 percent expect to see improvement in their finances.

- A slight majority of all respondents, 53 percent, say they are satisfied with the quality of health care in the United States. Still, 44 percent say they would prefer a universal health insurance program, in which all citizens would receive government-funded health care, while 40 percent favor the current privatized insurance system.

- Sixty-one percent identify immigration as a "very important" issue, and people have a largely negative view of undocumented immigrants. Fifty-eight percent say the immigration of Hispanics and Latinos in recent years has been bad for the United States, while 65 percent oppose proposals to allow illegal immigrants who are employed to stay in the country for several years.

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