Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently floated the idea of increasing the federal tax on gasoline as a way to meet Congress’ growing list of transportation projects, but most Americans are cool to the idea.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 15% of adults favor raising the gas tax to help meet new transportation needs. Seventy-four percent (74%) oppose a gas tax hike.

Americans currently pay a federal tax of 18.4 cents on each gallon of gas. LaHood says current revenue from the tax, last raised in 1993, is not enough to meet the $500 billion in road, bridge and transit projects that Congress has in mind.

But 55% of Americans say it’s better to cut back on transportation projects than to raise the federal gas tax. Twenty-two percent (22%) prefer raising the tax instead of cutting back. Twenty-three percent (23%) aren’t sure.

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Most unaffiliateds (53%) agree with 73% of Republicans that cutting back on transportation projects is better than raising the federal gas tax. Most Democrats do not.

Sixty percent (60%) of investors say cutting back on projects is better than raising the gas tax, compared to 51% of non-investors.

Earlier this year, just 10% of adults said the federal government should increase the tax on gasoline by a large amount as a way of encouraging people to buy more fuel-efficient cars. Eighty-one percent (81%) opposed a large tax hike for that purpose.

In April of last year, 60% liked Senator John McCain’s idea of suspending federal gas taxes for the summer as a way to boost the economy. But support for the plan quickly fell.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of voters believe tax cuts do more than increased government spending to stimulate the economy and create jobs.

Sixty-seven percent (67%) of Americans think the unemployment rate will be the same or higher a year from today.

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