In response to the oil spill, the Obama administration has canceled leasing offshore tracts for drilling that was planned off Virginia and the western Gulf of Mexico, and imposed a six-month moratorium on drilling exploratory and development wells in waters deeper than 500 feet.
In a national survey of 522 adults, on a scale of 0 to 10 (zero [image-nocss] indicates complete disagreement and 10 reflects complete agreement), the average show of support was 6.3 when asked if the government should allow offshore drilling.
The response was higher among Republicans, 7.8, compared to 5.4 for Democrats, said Reuters.
The average response was 6.7 when those surveyed were asked if offshore drilling was critical for America to maintain its competitiveness.
Republicans again agreed more with a response of 8.2 than Democrats, who averaged 5.8, the news agency said.
A recent CSP Daily News poll asked, "Has the BP spill changed your stance on the expansion of offshore drilling?" Of the more than 235 responses, 86% said "no, I'm still in favor of it"; 8.5% said "No, I've always opposed it"; and 5.5% said "yes, I now oppose it."
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