American Public Opinion About Gasoline Prices
Tuesday, June 1, 2004
by Joseph Carroll
Public Reactions to Rise in Gas Prices
According to a recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, more than 6 in 10 Americans say the current cost of gasoline represents either a crisis (15%) or a major problem for the country (49%). Slightly more than a third say the cost of gasoline is a minor problem (29%) or not a problem at all (6%). The latest results show only slight changes since March, but suggest that there has not been a deepening sense of crisis in recent weeks. In March, nearly 7 in 10 respondents said the nation was in a state of crisis (13%) over the cost of gasoline or had major problems (56%).
The May 21-23 poll also shows Americans essentially divided about whether the current rise in gas prices is a temporary fluctuation or a more permanent change, by a 48% to 50% margin. This marks a slight decrease in the view that the price increase is here to stay. When Gallup last asked this question in March, 55% of Americans said the rising prices were a more permanent change, while 42% said they were a temporary fluctuation.
Financial Concerns Now . . . and This Summer
When gas prices have risen in previous years, Gallup has often asked this question: "Have recent price increases in gasoline caused any financial hardship for you or your household?" The results on this question from Gallup’s May 21-23 poll show that a slight majority of respondents, 52%, say gas prices have not caused financial hardship, while 47% say they have. Across the four years this question has been asked, this 47% figure is tied for the highest percentage of Americans who have said gas prices have caused them hardship. A 47% "hardship" response was also recorded in May 2001 and in March 2004.
When asked to look ahead to the summer, 59% of Americans say they expect increases in gas prices to cause them financial hardship, while 39% do not. These results show little change from late March. In addition, 56% of Americans tell Gallup that the price of gas will actually cause them to drive less this summer; 43% say it will not.
Americans’ Reasons for Increased Gasoline Prices
Gallup asked Americans to identify, off the top of their heads, what they believe are the main reasons behind the rising gas prices. The results indicate that relatively few Americans blame supply and demand. Instead, the public tends to blame big oil, the war in Iraq, and OPEC. Specifically, 22% of Americans say that big business, oil companies, and price gouging are the main culprits for the higher gas prices. An additional 19% say the war in Iraq is causing the increases, 9% blame OPEC or Saudi Arabia, 8% blame general supply and demand for gasoline, and 7% generally blame the government. Only 5% of those surveyed mention President George W. Bush specifically as the cause for the soaring gas prices. Two percent say gas prices typically go up around this time every year.