This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
My last post explained why lower prices at the pump aren't quite as black and white as most media outlets would have us believe. Sure it's comfortable for our wallets, but the nuances don't fit easily into a few bullet points for the mainstream media.
Just yesterday, Melissa reported that oil prices are currently half of what they were a year ago. Thus, we still have have relatively inexpensive gas, but tax revenues are decreasing in oil-producing states. Now consider changing incentives for renewables, a boost in SUV sales, anticipated cuts in the energy sector, job creation due to consumer savings... Regardless of what you might hear elsewhere, we'll have to watch this play out economically and environmentally on the global stage.
But what do Americans really think about this issue? Last Fall, the UT Energy Poll reported that 84 percent of Americans say they are concerned about the cost of gasoline.
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Gas prices have ranked as the top concern on every wave of the survey so far. The new Spring 2015 data is just out of the field so soon we'll know whether American attitudes might be changing along with prices. What do you predict?