Voters Prefer an Increase in Domestic Production to Create New Jobs
Posted on April 26, 2011 | Polling Analysis
In a time of continuing concern over job creation and rising gas prices, voters are more inclined to believe that too many federal government regulations are more harmful than helpful; that the U.S. government should be developing our own energy resources offshore rather than subsidizing Brazil to develop its offshore energy supply; and despite the widespread coverage of the nuclear plant disaster in Fukushima, Japan, continue to support more domestic nuclear energy.
Over three-fifths of voters say we need more offshore drilling, including a majority of Democratic voters. Voters overall agree that “we should not let one bad accident in the Gulf divert us from the importance of more offshore drilling to create jobs and make us less dependent on foreign oil” by a 63 to 33 percent margin, including a 51 to 42 percent margin among Democrats, a 62 to 33 percent margin among Independents, and a 79 to 18 percent margin among Republicans.
Resurgent Republic sponsored a series of focus groups in five states to assess voter sentiments about the direction of the country. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and specifically the response from BP and the Obama Administration contributed significantly to the negative outlook held by these Independent and Tea Party voters. When asked to describe the overall response to the oil spill, they described their feelings about both camps with words like “frustration,” “upsetting,” “confusion,” “incompetence,” and “anger.”
