Bush's Handling of the Energy Situation
Approve	39%
Disapprove	43
No Opinion	18

The stakes are high: In recent ABCNEWS polls, 64 percent of adults have said the country was headed into an energy crisis and 48 percent said rising gasoline prices have caused them financial hardship. Such concerns carry the potential for political backlash.

The administration has urged expanded development of fossil fuels and nuclear power, and signaled that conservation won't be its chief priority.

"Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy," Vice President Dick Cheney, author of the energy policy, said two weeks ago. He said the nation needed to build the equivalent of a new power plant every week for 20 years.

The majority differed in this national, random-sample telephone survey conducted for ABCNEWS.com. Fifty-six percent said the best way for the federal government to handle the nation's energy needs was by encouraging greater conservation by industries, other businesses and individual Americans. Just 35 percent said it was preferable to encourage more oil and gas drilling, coal mining and construction of nuclear power plants.

Preferred Approach To Handle Energy Needs
Conservation	56%
Fossil Fuel / Nuclear Production	35

While conservation is often presented as mainly a matter of household consumption, ABCNEWS.com reported last month that personal consumption of power (at home and outside of work) accounts for less than a fifth of the nation's energy use, and is no higher now than 10 or 20 years ago, given more efficient systems and appliances. The report found industry, commerce and transportation account for more than three-quarters of the country's energy consumption.

Party Time

There's a strong political component to ratings of Bush's performance on energy, and also a connection — though a less powerful one — in views on conservation vs. production. On Bush, 73 percent of Republicans approve of his handling of the energy situation; that drops very sharply to 31 percent of independents and further to 17 percent of Democrats. Republicans divide about evenly on whether conservation or production is preferable; most independents and Democrats express a preference for conservation.

Bush's Handling / Energy Situation
	Approve	Disapprove	No opinion
Republicans	73%	13%	14%
Independents	31	51	18
Democrats	17	69	14

Preferred Approach
	Conservation	Production
Republicans	47%	44%
Independents	59	31
Democrats	61	34

Methodology

This ABCNEWS.com survey was conducted by telephone May 9-13, among a random national sample of 1,022 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Sampling, data collection and tabulation was conducted by TNS Intersearch of Horsham, Pa.

Previous ABCNEWS polls can be found in our Poll Vault.