Poll: Energy concerns top environment

PRINCETON, N.J., April 6 (UPI) -- Americans are more likely to say the United States should develop of energy supplies than prioritize environmental protections, a poll indicated Tuesday.

The data, released Tuesday as part of a Gallup Poll, is the first time more respondents said they favored energy protection over environmental protection since this issue was explored 10 years ago, Gallup said.

Results from the latest poll represent a continued shift toward energy production, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said. Since 2007, when preferences for environmental protection over energy production were the greatest -- 58 percent to 34 percent -- consumers' opinions moved significantly each year toward prioritizing energy production.

However, 33 percent of respondents describe the U.S. energy situation as "very serious," down from 42 percent in 2009 and the lowest level since 2005. Forty-five percent of survey participants said they expect the United States to encounter a critical energy shortage within the next five years, plunging from 62 percent in 2008 and the lowest Gallup said it has recorded in the last decade.

Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews with 1,014 adults conducted March 4-7, 2010. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.