More than three out of four voters want President Biden to make increasing domestic energy production a top priority, according to a new poll.
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and amid record-high prices at the pump, roughly 77% of respondents in a survey from The Trafalgar Group, a pollster, and the conservative nonprofit Convention of States Action said that the administration needs to focus on ramping up American energy to help supply catch up with demand.
Roughly 9% indicated that the issue should not be a priority, while 13.5% were unsure.
The belief among respondents that domestic energy production should be a top priority transcended party lines, with 67% of Democrats, more than 89% of Republicans and about 78% of independents in agreement.
“We can see in these numbers that Americans of all political stripes are being heavily impacted at the gas pump and want to see decisive action to ease our inflation-plagued economy,” said Mark Meckler, president of the Convention of States Action. “But this is not only about lowering prices, it’s also obvious to everyone that buying oil from our enemies threatens both America’s national security and our economy. Voters want Americans to benefit from American-produced energy.”
The poll marks the latest in a series of surveys that show Americans — despite what their positions may be on clean energy and climate change — want the federal government to immediately combat high energy costs.
The average price for a gallon of regular gas was $4.31 on Wednesday, up 80 cents from a month ago, before Ukraine was attacked by Russia.
The Biden administration has wrestled with how to blunt prices, as industry experts and analysts note there are few one-stop-shop solutions the government can take when it comes to controlling a volatile global energy market. The U.S. has banned Russian energy imports, a move that received bipartisan support but drove prices even higher.
The poll was conducted from March 7-11 among 1,073 respondents. The margin of error was +/- 2.99%.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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