AP-Ipsos Poll: Public Wants Gas Prices a Priority

ap on Yahoo ^ | 9/1/05 | Will Lester - ap

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON - Americans are worried about fast-rising gasoline prices and want President Bush and Congress to make that their top domestic priority, according to an AP-Ipsos poll.

With gas prices soaring toward $4 a gallon and fuel supply lines crippled by Hurricane Katrina, 24 percent of those polled listed fuel prices as their chief concern, second only to the war in Iraq.

"The president's got to step up to the plate" on the fuel issue, said carpenter Barry Whittington, who lives near Deale, Md., and voted for Bush. "This is killing me."

About one-fourth of adults younger than 65 named gas prices as the top priority, while 14 percent of senior citizens felt that way. Residents of several states in the oil-rich region of the country, such as Texas and Oklahoma, were more likely than people in other regions to name gas prices as the top priority. The percentage of people who named gas prices as the top priority had increased by the final day of polling Wednesday.

Twenty-nine percent of Americans named the Iraq situation as the top priority for the nation's political leaders. Other issues of concern were the economy and jobs, and terrorism.

The war in Iraq was the public's top priority in January, followed by the economy and jobs. The price of gas, still comfortably under $2 a gallon at the beginning of the year, was not one of the choices in that survey about government priorities.

Gas prices rose by more than 50 cents a gallon Wednesday in Ohio, 40 cents in Georgia and 30 cents in Maine after Hurricane Katrina knocked out refineries and pipeline links along the Gulf Coast. Some cities reported long lines at gas stations.

The situation has echoes of the 1970s — with high gasoline prices and supply problems.

President Bush moved Wednesday to release oil from the government's emergency stockpile and temporarily ease pollution standards on gasoline and diesel fuel to increase the supply. "Steps we're taking will help address the problem of availability but it's not going to solve it," Bush said Thursday. "Don't buy gas if you don't need it."

The poll of 1,000 adults was conducted Aug. 29-31 by Ipsos, an international polling firm, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

___

On the Net:

Ipsos: http://www.ap-ipsosresults.com

[NormsRevenge]

Also posted on the net as

AP-Ipsos Poll: Worried public wants Bush, Congress to make gas prices the top domestic priority

[TheBattman]

This holiday weekend will be a true test of how serious consumers are about gas prices. If demand falls far short of expectations, then there might be some truth. As long as consumers continue to buy at any price, they can't yell too loud....their actions speak louder.

What's bad - many folks who have a regular job, and live paycheck to paycheck are hurting BIG TIME, and often have no choice - they have to drive, and don't have any room in their budget for these crazy gas prices. What's fair???

[NormsRevenge]

Reverend Jesse Jackson (C) addresses a news conference at the command center, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana September 1, 2005. Jackson said the recent spike in gasoline prices following the hurricane was a form of looting and that he was departing for New Orleans to pick up college students. At left is Felix Rodriguez, president and CEO of CITGO Petroleum Corporation, the U.S. refining arm of Venezuela's state oil company, and at right is Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

[BenLurkin]

More rigs in the Gulf.

More Rigs off Santa Barbara.

Drill ANWR

Build refineries on closed military bases (eg Port Hueneme/ Point mugu)

Problem solved.

[BenLurkin]

The lefties never miss a chance to make a bad situation worse.

Someday they will be made to pay BIGTIME.

[Uncle Miltie]

"Public Wants Gas Prices a Priority"

The ROAD TO SERFDOM is paved by the meddling socialists engineering "the common good" rather than allowing individuals to be FREE TO CHOOSE.

High prices tell you to reduce demand. I suspect we're all doing a bit of that now. That alone will reduce prices.

High prices also tell suppliers to supply as much as possible to capture any possible profits. Increased supply reduces prices.

While painful today, high prices tell everyone to do the right thing so that scarce resources are best allocated. Government intervention will merely compound high prices with inevitable bureaucratic bungling and waste.

[Ron in Acreage]

The democrats are enjoying these high prices aren't they? After all, they vote for every lib that proposes higher gas taxes, Kerry proposed a .50 cent/gal increase,and oppose all domestic drilling and refining. I say we have 2 pumps to choose from. $2 for GOP and $3 for dems.

[patriciamary]

It will never happen.They republicans in office fear them and the public listens to our liberal media.I fear we may forever stay the silent majority.

[American Quilter]

While painful today, high prices tell everyone to do the right thing so that scarce resources are best allocated. Government intervention will merely compound high prices with inevitable bureaucratic bungling and waste.

(standing ovation)

I pray President Bush won't cave in to pressure to let the govt interfere with the free market.

Bill O'Reilly tonight was demanding that oil companies voluntarily lower their prices enough to "give up 20% of their profit". I'm sure he means well, but he clearly doesn't understand supply and demand.

[Texasforever]

And people wonder why Bush has not asked Americans for personal sacrifice before. Americans appear unable to grasp the concept.

[thelastvirgil]

Let the insanity begin. Who will be the first congress critter to call for a repeal of the law of supply and demand?

Here in my hometown, Jonesboro, Ar., unleaded regular has topped three bucks a gallon, but one would think that gasoline was selling for ten cents a gallon; there has been no appreciable slowing of traffic or any indication of any desire of anyone to cut down on unnecessary trips.

[Cosmo]

I'm beginning to get a little miffed at all the complaining about gas prices -- especially from the "compassionate" left. hundreds of thousands of people are displaced from their homes, have lost everything they had -- including their lives in god knows how many instances.

The last thing on my mind as I wait to hear whether or not my friend successfully fended off looters from his father's home is the price of gasoline.

[flashbunny]

---Jackson said the recent spike in gasoline prices following the hurricane was a form of looting ---

The same has been said by many freepers.

Who by now should be hanging their heads in shame.

[norraad]

I have noticed less drivers on the roads here.

[tomahawk]

Gas prices will come down from current levels, but Americans need to come to grip with the fact that the era of cheap oil is gone, forever.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Thank you, Brad. You can have Jimmah Cahtah prices where there is no gasoline or you can make a choice and reduce your own consumption. The market is sending a signal but the Donks don't understand it.

[SunnyD1182]

Of course, I bet if you polled these people and asked them if they wanted to expand refinery building or domestic drilling, they'd oppose it. The vast majority of Americans want the product without the work, which is why we got into this problem in the first place.

It is time for someone to give the general populace a nice big lecture on oil supply, and how caving in to the environmentalist left for the past 30 years has cost us dearly.

[Clemenza]

All I'm going to say is, that if you live 30 miles from work and drive a truck or SUV and whine about gas prices ITS YOUR OWN F-CKING FAULT!

[doug from upland]

It is time for our "friends" in Saudi Arabia to cut the damn price of crude.

[vaudine]

Some basic truths about gas prices:

--We are about now at the prices (1970's dollars vs today's dollars) that were reached during Jimmuh C's reign. Then, shortages were so acute, most svc stations closed at dusk, especially in rural areas.

--Until Jimmuh's glorious reign, we got most of our diesel from Iran and diesel was much cheaper than reg. gas. But jimmuh never met a dictator he didn't like, except the Shah of Iran who liked the US, so J. just allowed the Shah to be ousted and now diesel is much higher than regular even though refining it is much cheaper.

--Democrats and their lib buddies the enviros just cannot bear to contemplate drilling in most any place you would care to name that is US controlled. Just cut back, stay home, drive toy cars, do anything but drive a comfortable, safe vehicle.

--Dems and their enviro buddies likewise never saw a refinery plan fit to build, so we haven't had any new ones in a couple decades.That's one reason for high diesel--not enough refineries putting it out.

--Europeans have had high gas prices for at the least the last 40 years, when I lived there and was appalled at the pump prices. They have, on a regular basis, paid the prices we are seeing now--and literally everything is govt. controlled there. So maybe we should not look for price control too arduously.

--We have in our town a dump truck mfg co. sending trucks overeseas as fast as they can build the dump bodies and put them together, so I know the developing countries really are using more gas. So there are more huge markets vying for what is out there.

--If you lust after cheap gas, beg for the govt. to DO something. Blame Bush, vote Democrat in the next couple of elections and just see where that gets you--a parked car and a mule for transportation. Then the enviros will start demanding lower emissions from you mode of transportation because of global warming caused by mulish emissions....and....here we go again.

vaudine