Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Opinion poll tests support for democratic initiatives

Journal Article · · Public Utilities Fortnightly; (United States)
OSTI ID:6501347

A national opinion poll designed to test public support for a position paper on energy policy for the Clinton Administration and the new Congress, was released February 9 at a Capitol Hill press conference sponsored by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. The poll, conducted by the Democratic polling firm Greenberg/Lake and Republican pollster Lance Tarrance, found voters want energy efficiency, conservation, and renewable energy as top priorities for the nation's energy policy. It also found voters are willing to seek these policies with tough regulation, tax incentives, and their own behavior. Also, voters appear to support taxes on pollution and energy use, whether the income is used to decrease taxes on personal income, or to reduce the deficit. However, voters oppose gas taxes and are divided on taxes for fossil fuels. Support for energy taxes increases if revenues generated by them are dedicated to deficit reduction. The poll also revealed: the public's desire for less emphasis on polluting sources of energy such as oil and coal; low levels of support for nuclear power; support for government initiatives to increase the fuel efficiency of consumer goods such as appliances and automobiles; opposition to a substantial increase in the gasoline tax; and support for green taxes on polluting sources of energy use at the same time policy makers remove federal tax subsidies on fuels that pollute.

OSTI ID:
6501347
Journal Information:
Public Utilities Fortnightly; (United States), Journal Name: Public Utilities Fortnightly; (United States) Vol. 131:6; ISSN PUFNAV; ISSN 0033-3808
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English