Reported By Mike Zaman

Republished with permission of Rasmussen Reports
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_state_surveys/alabama/65_in_alabama_support_offshore_oil_drilling_59_favor_deepwater_drilling

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Though the Alabama coast was directly affected by the massive oil leak in Gulf of Mexico, voters in the state still strongly support offshore and deepwater oil drilling.

A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey shows that 65% of Likely Voters in Alabama believe offshore oil drilling should be allowed. Only 14% oppose offshore drilling, while 21% more are not sure.

Support for offshore drilling is higher in Alabama than it is on the national level, despite the fact that Governor Bob Riley declared a statewide emergency just after the rig explosion occurred.

Fifty-nine percent (59%) in Alabama support deepwater oil drilling, which is also higher than the national average. One-in-five voters (21%) are against this type of oil drilling, and another 20% are undecided.

Alabama does not depend as heavily on oil industry jobs as Gulf Coast neighbors like Louisiana and Texas but does a sizable amount of business through the port of Mobile. BP is now hiring thousands of unemployed people in these states to help with the cleanup.

The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Alabama was conducted on July 22, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

Like his fellow governors in Louisiana and Mississippi, Riley’s approval numbers have gotten slightly higher since the leak began. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters have approved of the Republican governor’s performance in three surveys conducted since May. In March, 51% approved of his job performance.

Republican State Representative Robert Bentley holds a 20-point lead over Democratic nominee Ron Sparks in the state’s race to replace Riley in November.

Men in Alabama are more supportive than women of offshore and deepwater oil drilling.

While Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party strongly favor drilling, Democrats are evenly divided on the issue.

Offshore drilling receives even stronger support in Texas (70%), Louisiana (79%) and Mississippi (76%) despite how the leak has affected their shorelines. The tourism industry has been hard hit in all Gulf Coast states.

Support for offshore drilling in Florida (48%) is 48%, below the national average, but it’s a state heavily dependent on the tourism industry.
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