Eight in 10 (79%) of those questioned in the July 9-12 poll say London-based BP should pay for all damage caused by the spill. Sixty percent say BP, not the federal government, should reimburse wages lost by oil workers laid off because of the moratorium, with 56 percent saying even the possibility of bankruptcy shouldn’t allow the company to escape paying.
Asked who was most to blame for the spill, 44 percent say BP, and 19 percent say lax federal regulations and oversight. One in five say (22%) no one is to blame.
“The fact so many people say it was a freak accident is especially telling,” said J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., a Des Moines, Iowa-based company that conducted the telephone survey. “People say BP must pay, but there’s no sense of impending doom at the hands of the entire industry.”
The length of the spill, now in its 84th day, may explain why there’s not a broader sense of outrage, she said.
“Perhaps because it’s gone on so long there’s a sense that it is what it is,” Selzer said. “BP is accountable for what they are accountable for, but any sense of vindication you might look to find is absent.”
Economic Catastrophe
While public objections to a drilling ban echo the views of Republican leaders such as Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, the sentiment is strong regardless of political leaning: 85 percent of Republicans, 73 percent of independents and 65 percent of Democrats oppose a ban, according to the poll.
Making BP pay for the economic damages from the spill even at the risk of bankruptcy is backed by 61 percent of respondents who said they are Democrats, and 54 percent of both Republicans and independents.
Accidents Happen
Eight in 10 (79%) of those questioned say BP shouldn’t be assessed penalties beyond payment for damages, such as being banned from future drilling in the U.S. The House Natural Resources Committee yesterday approved an amendment that would bar the company from new offshore leases in the U.S.
While 73 percent of Democrats say BP should pay for the wages of rig workers laid off because of the drilling moratorium, Republicans are evenly split, with 42 percent saying BP should pay and the same number saying the government should.
BP has allocated $100 million to pay for the missed wages of workers idled by the drilling ban. That money is separate from a $20 billion fund BP has created to cover economic damages caused by the spill.
Methodology: The Bloomberg National Poll is based on interviews with 1,004 U.S. adults ages 18 or older. Percentages based on the full sample may have a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
