EVOLVING CALIFORNIA OPINION ON OFFSHORE OIL DEVELOPMENT

Whether oil companies should be allowed to drill more oil wells along the California coast is the subject of a great deal of conflict. We examine public opinion on the question using a series of public opinion polls of Californians. We find that public support for coastal oil development has sharply declined since 1980. The groups most supportive of drilling are conservatives, Republicans, the least well educated, the old, and non-whites. Surprisingly, proximity to offshore oil development is not related to support. These findings give us a basis for predicting that support for further oil drilling will continue to decline. Finally, we show that the public's attitudes on energy policy do not lead to any practical energy policy.