High gas prices forcing changes, poll says

WASHINGTON — Half the people in the country say record-high gas prices are starting to cause them problems. Who's to blame? Americans point a finger at the oil companies, foreign nations that control the oil supply and politicians.

More than half say they're cutting back on driving, and many plan to stay closer to home on their summer vacations.

An Associated Press-AOL poll found 51 percent of those surveyed say that if gas prices remain high for the next six months it will cause a financial hardship for them. Thirty percent of those polled classified the hit as "serious," according to the survey conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs for the AP and AOL News.

"You have to decide — gas, groceries, medicine," said Marcia Cain of Indianapolis, who is semiretired. "I'm on limited income. I don't go out as much — eating out, going to listen to jazz. It uses gas you don't want to use."

Cain paid $2.15 per gallon this week after paying $2.35 per gallon the week before. "It aggravates me, but there's not much I can do about it," she said.

High global oil prices have pushed the cost of regular gasoline for U.S. motorists to around $2.21 per gallon, with prices ranging from an average of $2.64 in California to about $2 in Oklahoma, according to the auto group AAA. Prices are expected to remain above $2 nationally through the summer.

Americans spread the blame around, with 29 percent blaming the oil companies, 24 percent blaming foreign governments that dominate oil reserves and 23 percent saying politicians. Eight percent blame the high prices on "environmentalists who want to limit oil exploration," while 6 percent blame "people who drive gas-guzzling vehicles."

Anxiety about gasoline prices comes as President Bush is pressing Congress to approve energy legislation that includes tax breaks and subsidies, mostly for energy companies, and would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil development. The House passed its version of the bill Thursday.

The president gets low marks from the public for his handling of the nation's energy problems, with 62 percent saying they disapprove. When he first took office, people were more inclined to say he would handle energy problems effectively.

Many people, 41 percent, say gas prices are making them seriously consider purchasing a more fuel-efficient vehicle.