There is much to be said about gas prices and how they are affecting everyday Americans. Americans don’t feel the pain at the pump because the Biden administration refuses to drill for domestic crude oil. These policies also affect the shelves.
Supply chain problems at all levels, from transportation to agriculture, are exacerbated by high diesel prices and looming shortages. The higher prices we pay for food and other products reflect these issues.
Tippinsights and Issues & Insights have released a new poll that shows voters have something to share about the topic:
We asked 1,359 adults this question in the poll: “What should the government be doing to reduce the diesel shortage?” This online I&I/TIPP poll was taken between Nov. 2 and 4. It has a margin error of +/-22.8 percentage points.
The following responses were offered to respondents in order. To avoid bias in order, responses 1 through 4 were randomly chosen.
- “Encourage more oil drilling and oil refining.”
- “To reduce climate change, keep imposing strict limits on carbon-based fossil fuels.”
- “Return to the energy production standards and rules that were in place in 2020.”
- “Tax oil companies that don’t produce enough oil.”
- “Do nothing.”
- “Not sure.”
These are the top two responses. Three-quarters of the voters polled preferred more drilling. Another 36% wanted to see an increase in energy production standards, which predate the Biden administration.
25% of respondents want to tax oil companies that don’t produce enough oil. This is a sign that they are either ignorant or wishful thinking. 22% want to keep a green agenda. It is interesting that a similar percentage of respondents say they aren’t sure. Only 3 percent think that staying silent is the best strategy.
It is interesting to see the differences in responses by political parties. The majority of Republicans who were surveyed preferred drilling and refining (55%) and returning to fewer regulations and restrictions on energy production (51%). These options are also preferred by independents at 35% and 33% respectively.
Overall, Democrats were fairly even in their responses to all options. However, a majority of them preferred the policies Tippinsights calls “more restrictive and punitive” with 36% favoring taxing oil companies and 32% choosing the climate change agenda.
Tippinsights claims that the strong support for increasing American energy production through increased drilling or lower restrictions proves that this is not a political issue but an economic one.
Tippinsights’ Terry Jones writes that “the answer transcends both politics as well as the short-term holiday horizon.” Inflation for food, manufactured goods, and energy is already causing a slowing of demand in the United States.
As another survey reveals, 81% of parents plan to spend less on Christmas this year due to inflation. Going into winter, the fuel crisis may get worse. The Northern Hemisphere’s snow cover is already at its highest level in 56 years. This is somewhat ironic considering that the “climate” narrative aims to combat rising temperatures. It means that more people will feel the pinch of rising fuel prices.
It is clear that voters want their leaders to do something to address rising fuel prices, and their ripple effects and this poll shows that more voters want to return to the state things were before the Biden administration made it more scarce and expensive to buy energy. It is just too bad the White House doesn’t listen.
