Less than one-quarter of registered voters opposed
Raleigh, N.C. – Results of the latest Civitas Institute poll reveal strong support remains among registered voters for off-shore drilling and energy exploration despite a welcomed decline in the retail price of refined gasoline products since late 2008.
More than 71 percent of 600 respondents to the live-caller poll indicated they would allow domestic energy exploration somewhere off of the coast of North Carolina today. Only 21.8 percent answered they would not allow drilling anywhere off the coast and 6.3 percent refused the question or were unaware.
“In the face of lower demand for gasoline and lower pump prices, voters over the past eleven months have actually increased their support for off-shore drilling,” said Francis De Luca, executive director of the Civitas Institute.
Reflecting on a similar question asked in Civitas’ June 2008 poll, 68 percent of respondents supported off-shore drilling. Voter opposition to domestic energy exploration off the state coast totaled 20 percent last summer with 11 percent having no opinion.
“It appears voters overwhelmingly support drilling off the coast, whether it is a plurality that would allow it within sight of land or huge majorities allowing it somewhere off the coast,” said De Luca. “Voters understand that offshore drilling will create jobs in the state and help the overall economic situation.”
The Civitas Poll is the only monthly live-caller poll of critical issues and policies facing North Carolina.
Full text of questions:
When it comes to the issue of drilling for oil and natural gas off the coast of North Carolina, which of the following comes closest to your own personal opinion?
- Drilling for oil and natural gas should be allowed anywhere off…
- Drilling for oil and natural gas should only be allowed off the coast of North Carolina if it is out of sight from the shore. Or,
- Drilling for oil and natural gas should not be allowed at all off the coast of North Carolina.
Anywhere Off Coast- 31.2%
Out of Sight/Shore- 40.7%
TOTAL DRILLING ALLOWED – 71.8%
NOT ALLOWED – 21.8%
No Opinion – 6.3%
Click here for full results and crosstabs.
Do you support or oppose oil and gas exploration off the coast of North Carolina?
Support- 68%
Oppose- 20%
Not Sure- 11%
Click here for June 2008 poll.
This poll of 600 likely general election voters in North Carolina was conducted April 21-23, 2009 by McLaughlin and Associates of Alexandria, Virginia. All interviews were conducted via telephone by professional interviewers.
Interview selection was random within predetermined geographic units. These units were structured to correlate with actual voter distributions in a statewide general election. The poll of 600 likely general election voters has an accuracy of +/- 4.0% at a 95% confidence interval.
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