March 5, 2012

Survey Says Americans Support Keystone XL Pipeline

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Survey says – the majority of Americans who have heard about the Keystone XL pipeline project support it. According to a recent report published by the Pew Research Center, 2/3 of individuals with some prior knowledge of the pipeline believe that the U.S. government should approve its being built. And, despite environmental concerns surrounding the project - which would move oil from Canada’s oil sands to U.S. refineries along the Gulf Coast – this support is seen on both sides of the aisle.

According to the Pew Research Center’s survey results, while Republicans were more likely to support the Keystone XL project than Democrats, there is still significant support from moderate Democrats. According to the report:

“Among those who have heard at least a little [about the project], there is strong public support for building the pipeline. About two-thirds (66%) think the government should approve the building of the pipeline, while 23% say it should not be approved.
Republicans overwhelmingly support the building of the pipeline. Fully 84% say the government should approve the Keystone XL pipeline, including 88% of conservative Republicans.

Even among Democrats who have heard about the issue, a 49% plurality support the government approving the pipeline while 33% say it should not be approved. But there is a strong ideological division among Democrats; 63% of conservative and moderate Democrats support the building of the pipeline, compared with just 30% of liberal Democrats. A plurality of liberal Democrats (49%) say the pipeline should not be approved.”

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To review the full results of the Pew Research Center's survey, see the full report here. Below is the chart presented by the Pew Center, which summarizes their main findings surrounding public support for the Keystone XL pipeline project.

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1. Chart of Pew Research Center survey results produced by the center.

H/T to Sheril Kirshenbaum at Culture of Science for bringing this report to the author’s attention.

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