Nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) support going ahead with offshore oil drilling, an issue that John McCain seized on in early June as a way to help lower gas prices and has since forced Barack Obama to at least partially agree with.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that over half (55%) agree with the Republican’s proposal to build more nuclear plants, although 32% disagree.

Forty-eight percent (48%) favor Obama’s proposal to give $4 billion in federal aid to the troubled auto industry to build fuel efficient cars, but 39% are opposed to his plan. Forty-six percent (46%) oppose the Democrat’s idea to give a $7,000 tax credit to Americans who buy a hybrid vehicle, although nearly as many (44%) are in favor of it.

Forty-two percent (42%) said that offshore oil drilling would have the biggest impact in terms of reducing the price of oil -- a far higher percentage than believe that for several other options now being floated by the two major presidential candidates. Building more nuclear plants and encouraging the development of fuel efficient cars through government funding are each seen by 16% of voters as the best way to reduce the price of oil. For 11%, giving tax credits to encourage the purchase of hybrid vehicles is viewed as the best way to push down energy prices.

Only 20% of Americans now oppose offshore drilling, which Obama initially opposed but is now willing to consider in conjunction with development of alternative energy sources. The number of those who support offshore drilling trends slightly higher than it has in earlier surveys.

Ninety percent (90%) of likely McCain voters support offshore drilling along with 37% of potential Obama voters.
Late in July, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who like other national Democratic leaders opposes offshore drilling, abruptly recessed the House for over a month to avoid a vote on a national energy bill that included the contentious issue. Republicans who favor lifting the ban on offshore drilling have been staging protest sessions in the Capitol ever since.

McCain and Obama have been sparring over energy policies for weeks, as the high price of gas at the pump – and its impact on other sectors of the economy – has become one of the top issues in this year’s campaign.

More than twice as many likely McCain voters (73%) like his idea of building more nuclear plants versus 35% of potential Obama voters. Similarly, 72% of men favor building more plants as opposed to only 40% of women. More women (43%) are against the idea.

Likely Obama voters were fairly evenly divided over which proposal has the best chance of reducing the price of oil. Their favorite – chosen by 27% -- was federal aid to the auto industry to encourage the development of fuel efficient cars. For potential McCain voters, the choice was overwhelmingly offshore oil drilling, favored by 63%, followed by 18% who view building more nuclear plants as the best way to go.

Two surveys by Rasmussen Reports last week suggest why McCain may have an edge on the issue thus far.

By substantial margins, voters believe that the Republican candidate’s top priority is finding new sources of energy while his Democratic opponent is more focused on reducing the amount of energy we consume. Yet a separate survey found that for nearly two-thirds (65%), finding new sources of energy is more important that reducing the amount of energy Americans now use.

Also in terms of voter trust, other survey data shows that more voters now trust McCain over Obama on the energy issue.

Nationally the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll continues to show a very close race for the White House.

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