A new poll reveals more Americans are opposed to increased fracking than in favor. (Photo: Bryan Elder/flickr/cc)
Nov 14, 2014
A new Pew Research Center poll has found growing opposition among Americans to increased fracking.
According to the results of the survey conducted last week, more people (47 percent) are opposed to increased fracking than in favor (41percent) of its increased use.
In contrast, Pew's March 2013 poll 48 percent in support compared to 38 percent opposed.
Broken down into demographic groups, the November poll shows women have expressed a marked increase in opposition. Fifty-four percent of women expressed opposition compared to 31 percent in favor of increased fracking. In the March poll, the results were more evenly distributed, with 42 percent of women expressing opposition compared to 41 percent in favor.
Men were more in favor than opposed to an increase in fracking in both the November and March polls.
A partisan breakdown shows vast contrasts.
In both the November and March polls, respondents identified as Republican expressed strong support for an increase in fracking -- 62 percent in November and 66 percent in March. Just 25 percent expressed opposition in the latest poll and 24 percent in the earlier poll.
Democrats were more opposed in both polls. Fifty-two percent expressed opposition in March, and that percentage went up to 59 in November. Thirty-three percent were in favor in March, and the number dropped to 29 last week.
The biggest shift between the two polls came from those in the Midwest. Fifty-five percent of respondents in that region said they were in favor in March, but that number dropped to 39 percent in November.
The new poll comes a month after a "Global Frackdown," slated as an international day of action to stop fracking.
Organizers of that action declared:
Fracking for oil and gas is inherently unsafe and the harms of this industry cannot be fully mitigated by regulation. We reject the multi-million dollar public relations campaign by big oil and gas companies and urge our local, state, and national officials to reject fracking. We stand united as a global movement in calling on governmental officials at all levels to pursue a renewable energy future and not allow fracking or any of the associated infrastructure in our communities or any communities. We are communities fighting fracking, frac sand mining, pipelines, compressor stations, LNG terminals, exports of natural gas, coal seam gas, coal bed methane and more. Fracking is not part of our vision for a clean energy future and should be banned.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just days away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A new Pew Research Center poll has found growing opposition among Americans to increased fracking.
According to the results of the survey conducted last week, more people (47 percent) are opposed to increased fracking than in favor (41percent) of its increased use.
In contrast, Pew's March 2013 poll 48 percent in support compared to 38 percent opposed.
Broken down into demographic groups, the November poll shows women have expressed a marked increase in opposition. Fifty-four percent of women expressed opposition compared to 31 percent in favor of increased fracking. In the March poll, the results were more evenly distributed, with 42 percent of women expressing opposition compared to 41 percent in favor.
Men were more in favor than opposed to an increase in fracking in both the November and March polls.
A partisan breakdown shows vast contrasts.
In both the November and March polls, respondents identified as Republican expressed strong support for an increase in fracking -- 62 percent in November and 66 percent in March. Just 25 percent expressed opposition in the latest poll and 24 percent in the earlier poll.
Democrats were more opposed in both polls. Fifty-two percent expressed opposition in March, and that percentage went up to 59 in November. Thirty-three percent were in favor in March, and the number dropped to 29 last week.
The biggest shift between the two polls came from those in the Midwest. Fifty-five percent of respondents in that region said they were in favor in March, but that number dropped to 39 percent in November.
The new poll comes a month after a "Global Frackdown," slated as an international day of action to stop fracking.
Organizers of that action declared:
Fracking for oil and gas is inherently unsafe and the harms of this industry cannot be fully mitigated by regulation. We reject the multi-million dollar public relations campaign by big oil and gas companies and urge our local, state, and national officials to reject fracking. We stand united as a global movement in calling on governmental officials at all levels to pursue a renewable energy future and not allow fracking or any of the associated infrastructure in our communities or any communities. We are communities fighting fracking, frac sand mining, pipelines, compressor stations, LNG terminals, exports of natural gas, coal seam gas, coal bed methane and more. Fracking is not part of our vision for a clean energy future and should be banned.
A new Pew Research Center poll has found growing opposition among Americans to increased fracking.
According to the results of the survey conducted last week, more people (47 percent) are opposed to increased fracking than in favor (41percent) of its increased use.
In contrast, Pew's March 2013 poll 48 percent in support compared to 38 percent opposed.
Broken down into demographic groups, the November poll shows women have expressed a marked increase in opposition. Fifty-four percent of women expressed opposition compared to 31 percent in favor of increased fracking. In the March poll, the results were more evenly distributed, with 42 percent of women expressing opposition compared to 41 percent in favor.
Men were more in favor than opposed to an increase in fracking in both the November and March polls.
A partisan breakdown shows vast contrasts.
In both the November and March polls, respondents identified as Republican expressed strong support for an increase in fracking -- 62 percent in November and 66 percent in March. Just 25 percent expressed opposition in the latest poll and 24 percent in the earlier poll.
Democrats were more opposed in both polls. Fifty-two percent expressed opposition in March, and that percentage went up to 59 in November. Thirty-three percent were in favor in March, and the number dropped to 29 last week.
The biggest shift between the two polls came from those in the Midwest. Fifty-five percent of respondents in that region said they were in favor in March, but that number dropped to 39 percent in November.
The new poll comes a month after a "Global Frackdown," slated as an international day of action to stop fracking.
Organizers of that action declared:
Fracking for oil and gas is inherently unsafe and the harms of this industry cannot be fully mitigated by regulation. We reject the multi-million dollar public relations campaign by big oil and gas companies and urge our local, state, and national officials to reject fracking. We stand united as a global movement in calling on governmental officials at all levels to pursue a renewable energy future and not allow fracking or any of the associated infrastructure in our communities or any communities. We are communities fighting fracking, frac sand mining, pipelines, compressor stations, LNG terminals, exports of natural gas, coal seam gas, coal bed methane and more. Fracking is not part of our vision for a clean energy future and should be banned.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.