(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in the United States want the government to take specific action to deal with rising fuel prices, according to a poll by TNS, ABC News, Stanford University and Planet Green. 78 per cent of respondents think the government should implement stricter fuel efficiency standards for cars.

Additionally, 63 per cent of respondents think the government should open protected coastal waters for oil and gas drilling, and 55 per cent want to allow drilling in U.S. wilderness areas where this is currently not allowed. More than half of respondents want to increase taxes on the profits earned by oil companies.

In April 2005, U.S. president George W. Bush declared, "I wish I could simply wave a magic wand and lower gas prices tomorrow; I’d do that. Unfortunately, higher gas prices are a problem that has been years in the making."

Last month, U.S. president George W. Bush lifted a White House ban on offshore drilling and urged Congress to lift its ban when it resumes duties in September.

On Aug. 23, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen—who is running for a U.S. Senate seat in New Hampshire against Republican incumbent John Sununu—chided the Bush administration for driving the economy to the brink of a recession, saying, "They have protected billions in tax give-aways for big oil and tax loopholes for businesses who ship jobs overseas rather than making a serious commitment to the development of clean alternative energy that can transform our economy and create thousands of new jobs."

Polling Data

Do you think the federal government should or should not…?

Source: TNS / ABC News / Stanford University / Planet Green
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted from Jul. 23 to Jul. 28, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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