The majority of voters are blaming increased prices at the pump on Russian President Vladimir Putin and oil companies more than energy policies from President Biden and Democrats, according to a new poll.
An ABC News/Ipsos survey released over the weekend showed that 71% of voters placed a great deal or good amount of blame on Mr. Putin for his invasion of Ukraine and 68% said the same for oil companies.
The majority of respondents still placed some degree of blame on Mr. Biden (51%) and Democratic policies (52%).
Although most voters still blamed the president and his party, the vast frustration among Americans toward Mr. Putin and energy companies offers the Biden administration at least some relief from last month, when poll after poll showed most voters frustrated with Democrats and suggested major problems for the party heading into the midterm elections.
However, voters’ approval for Mr. Biden’s handling of inflation (29%) and gas prices (31%) remained relatively unchanged over the past several months.
Gasoline prices were rising before the Russia-Ukraine war exacerbated costs. The national average for a gallon of regular gas was $4.11 on Monday, down 22 cents from its peak last month but still $1.25 more than a year ago, according to the AAA automobile owners club.
Half of those polled said the increased price has caused financial hardship, with roughly one in five saying it’s led to “serious” difficulties.
Democrats pummeled Big Oil executives with allegations of price gouging during a contentious hearing on Capitol Hill last week, a charge that the energy company leaders rejected and said was primarily the fault of a volatile global market that has been unable to keep up with demand.
They also placed some of the blame on the Biden administration’s anti-fossil fuel stances and policies, such as trying to reduce fossil fuel production on federal lands.
The ABC News/Ipsos poll was conducted April 8-9 among 530 adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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