Poll: Americans Favor Offshore Drilling 2-to-1

Americans favor an increase in offshore oil drilling by a 2-1 margin, a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll reveals.

In the poll, 69 percent of respondents said they support the increase, while 30 percent said they are opposed to it.

But when asked if increased offshore drilling would reduce gasoline prices in the next year, only 51 percent of those polled said it would, and 49 percent said it would not.

President Bush on Wednesday called on Congress to schedule a vote to lift the ban on offshore drilling before its August recess, citing an “urgent” need to reduce pressure on crude oil and gasoline prices.

It could take up to 15 years to access offshore oil in some areas, according to CNN. But Sara Banaszak, senior economist at the American Petroleum Institute, said lifting the ban would send a “strong signal” to the oil futures market and could help bring down the price of crude oil immediately.