Poll: American Views on Fracking

Analysis of a survey from Fall 2015 found that: 24% of Americans report hearing a “great deal” or “good amount” about natural gas development using hydraulic fracturing, with a majority (54%) reporting that they have heard only “a little” or “nothing” about this energy extraction process. Americans are highly divided on the extraction of oil and gas through hydraulic fracturing, with about a third supporting it and slightly more than a third opposing it. Party affiliation is strongly associated with support for hydraulic fracturing, with Democrats twice as likely as Republicans to oppose it. A plurality of U.S. residents indicate that hydraulic fracturing has had a positive effect on the national economy, but most also believe it has had negative effects on the nation’s public health and environment.  Most Americans believe that experts are divided on whether fracking poses any risk, with only small portions indicating that experts have reached a conclusion either way. By over a three to one margin, Americans consider “fracking” to be a negative –rather than positive–term.