Poll shows Americans want more domestic oil & natural gas

Results from a new poll – conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute (API), a U.S. trade association representing the oil and gas industry – indicate that an overwhelming majority of voters not only support the production of more American energy but also want the economic contributions of oil and natural gas to inform energy policies in the United States.

According to API, its new poll, which was conducted between 23-25 June 2023 among a national sample of 2,003 registered voters, shows that 90 per cent of these voters agree that natural gas and oil play an important role in strengthening the U.S. economy. In addition, it brings home the voters’ belief that lawmakers should consider the economic importance of these resources when assessing new energy policies and regulations.

While the results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points, the new poll found that 88 per cent of voters are convinced it is important to produce natural gas and oil in the U.S.; 90 per cent believe producing natural gas and oil in America strengthens the U.S. economy; and 83 per cent agree that the government should consider economic data when developing regulations that would affect the development of the U.S. energy infrastructure.

Furthermore, 88 per cent of voters are under the impression that producing natural gas and oil from the U.S. can help lower energy costs for American consumers and small businesses; 85 per cent agree that producing natural gas and oil in the U.S. helps make it more secure against actions by countries such as China and Russia; and 80 per cent support increased development of the U.S. energy infrastructure.

Mike Sommers, API’s President and CEO, commented: “American voters understand and support the critical role the natural gas and oil industry plays in powering our nation’s economy. Americans also recognise the need for policies and regulations that encourage investment and enable development to sustain the industry’s growing economic contributions.

“It’s time for Congress and the administration to build on recent momentum and continue to drive improvements to our permitting process that enable American energy to serve as a foundation for long-term economic growth and energy security.”

This poll comes on the heels of a recent study on the growing economic contributions of America’s natural gas and oil industry in all 50 states, including investment in the U.S. ranging from taxes and workforce wages paid to indirect and induced jobs in retail, manufacturing, agriculture, and other sectors throughout the energy supply chain.

The study, commissioned by API and prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), showed that the industry supported 10.8 million jobs and contributed nearly $1.8 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2021.