The survey, which canvassed nearly 200 senior U.S. energy executives, comes amid an oil industry slowdown caused by oversupply and spiraling prices, and as the oil market mulls whether prices and activity will rebound in the coming months.

The survey showed that 45 percent of respondents expect an average Brent price of between $50 and $59 a barrel this year. Brent has averaged $57.59 a barrel so far this year and traded at around $67 on Wednesday, according to Reuters data.

The outlook represented a major change from last year, when 94 percent of executives expected the oil price would be $100 or higher. Brent crude averaged around $108 from 2011 to 2014.

Wednesday's survey showed that 24 percent of executives polled expect oil prices to average $60-$69 a barrel this year.

"The recent collapse in oil prices is an issue on the mind of every energy executive, as it caused a ripple effect that has had profound implications across the entire oil and gas value chain," said Regina Mayor, advisory industry leader for energy and natural resources at KPMG LLP.

Brent oil prices dropped from over $115 a barrel to $45 a barrel between June and January as supply swamped the global market. Prices have since rebounded to around $67, raising the prospect of a recovery toward the end of this year or next.

Fifty-three percent of those polled expected oil prices to stabilize by the end of this year, though 35 percent think price fluctuations will continue into 2016.

In a hint at some optimism for the future, more than half the executives plan to allocate capital for acquisitions and expanding operations over the next two years, the survey said. Ninety-two percent expect the U.S. economy to improve or stay the same in the next year.

Seventy-six percent expect to increase headcount over the next two years.