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US energy dependence a new major worry for Americans: poll
AFP
WASHINGTON
Petroleumworld.com 03 31 06US dependence on foreign energy has become almost as worrisome to Americans as the war in Iraq, according to a poll released Thursday by Foreign Affairs magazine.
A survey of 1,000 people conducted in January also indicated that only 36 percent of Americans believe their country can effectively help other nations become democracies, and 22 percent believe the US will be successful in helping Iraq become a democracy.
The Public Agenda Confidence in US Foreign Policy Index showed that 46 percent gave their politicians a flunking grade when it came to weaning the country from dependence on foreign sources of energy.
"In our first edition of the tracking survey last summer (August), we reported that just one foreign policy issue -- the war in Iraq -- had reached the point at which public opinion could no longer be ignored, the tipping point," Daniel Yankelovich, chairman of Public Agenda, a non-partisan group that conducted the survey, said in a statement.
"Energy dependence has now also hit the tipping point where policy makers must pay heed."
The survey results showed that public concern over oil prices and their impact on national security has shot up from "zero to 60" in just a few months.
That can be attributed, in part, to hurricanes that shut down oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico and higher gas prices.
"Virtually all Americans surveyed (90 percent) see the US becoming less dependent on other countries for our supply of energy as important for strengthening our nation's security," the survey report said.
But while energy dependence has become a major issue of concern, the war in Iraq remains the nation's most pressing problem, the index showed.
"While nearly six in 10 Americans (59 percent) say our nation's foreign policy is on the 'wrong track', the situation in Iraq remains the public's most salient international concern," the report said.
Ruth Wooden, president of Public Agenda, said the index results were a significant message to the country's leaders about the public's longer-term concerns and judgements about the US stance in the world.
"The low levels of trust in government, in combination with heightened unease about Iraq, energy dependence and the wariness of 'democracy building' suggest the public's anxiety on foreign policy issues is not likely to abate any time soon," Wooden said.
The survey was carried out with funding from the Ford Foundation.
AFP 30 03 06 1512 GMT
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