Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

Americans Blame OPEC For Soaring Gas Prices

May 21, 2004

(CPOD) May 21, 2004 - Some Americans think the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is to blame for elevated fuel costs, according to a poll by Zogby America released by The Wilderness Society. 42 per cent of respondents say OPEC is responsible for rising gas prices in the United States.

Eleven oil producing countries—Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela—are part of OPEC. The Organization recently implemented a reduction in crude oil production of 1 million barrels a day.

For the past four weeks, gas prices have risen all over the U.S. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the national average cost of a gallon of fuel is currently $2.00 U.S., a 32 per cent increase in a year. 30 per cent of respondents believe the oil companies are at fault for the problems, while 14 per cent think U.S. president George W. Bush is to blame.

Polling Data

Which of the following do you feel is most responsible for rising gasoline prices?

Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC)

42%

Oil Companies

30%

President George W. Bush

14%

Environmental Groups

4%

U.S. Congress

2%

Source: Zogby America / The Wilderness Society
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 985 likely voters, conducted from May 10 to May 13, 2004. Margin of error is 3.2 per cent.

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