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Politics · North America

Survey finds 53% of U.S. adults back energy independence

A survey conducted for the Council for a Secure America found that 53% of American adults supported U.S. energy independence, while 18% disagreed. The poll also found that 57% agreed energy independence helps the economy grow.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 2 independent reports from 4 outlets · Article text read from 1 of 2 reportsHow it's made

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4 outlets2 regionsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: Mostly CenterL 0 · C 2 · R 1 · 1 unrated
Updat3 graphic: United States
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What happened

Key facts

  • A survey conducted for the Council for a Secure America found 53% of American adults supported energy independence, while 18% disagreed (per New York Post).
  • The survey asked whether U.S. energy independence would make the country safer by reducing reliance on foreign oil and natural gas (per New York Post).
  • The survey found that 57% agreed energy independence helps the economy grow (per New York Post).
  • In the survey, 71% said it was better for the United States to produce its own energy, while 29% favored participating in a global energy economy (per New York Post).
  • The survey found that 67% supported reforms to help U.S. energy infrastructure meet growing electricity needs and make energy more affordable; 7% disagreed and 26% had no opinion (per New York Post).
  • The New York Post reported that Morning Consult interviewed 2,200 American adults for the Council for a Secure America survey from Sept. 25-27, with a margin of error of 2.1 percentage points (per New York Post).
  • A June 2025 poll by the Council for a Secure America found that 56% of Americans supported energy independence (per New York Post).
  • Realnews Magazine’s headline says 68% of Americans support reform to grow domestic energy production (per realnewsmagazine.net).

The brief

A survey conducted for the Council for a Secure America found that 53% of American adults supported U.S. energy independence, while 18% disagreed. The New York Post reported that the poll asked respondents whether relying less on foreign oil and natural gas would make the country safer. The survey’s central result was support for reducing dependence on foreign energy supplies.

The poll also asked whether the United States should produce its own energy or take part in a global energy economy. Seventy-one percent favored domestic production, while 29% preferred participation in the global energy economy, according to the New York Post. On economic effects, 57% of respondents agreed that energy independence helps the economy grow.

The survey also asked about changes to energy infrastructure: 67% supported reforms intended to meet rising electricity needs and make energy more affordable, 7% opposed them, and 26% expressed no opinion. Morning Consult interviewed 2,200 American adults for the Council for a Secure America from Sept. 25-27, the New York Post reported.

The poll’s margin of error was 2.1 percentage points. The New York Post described the survey period as occurring amid high prices and the ongoing war in Iran. A previous Council for a Secure America poll, conducted in June 2025, found 56% support for energy independence.

That result is three percentage points higher than the 53% recorded in the newer survey, though the figures alone do not establish why the results differ. The headlines from AOL and AOL UK likewise characterize Americans as wanting energy independence from foreign countries.

Realnews Magazine’s headline instead highlights its stated finding that 68% support reform to grow domestic energy production. The headline does not establish whether that figure refers to the same question as the Council for a Secure America poll’s infrastructure-reform result.

Why it matters

  • The survey links energy independence to economic growth in respondents’ views: 57% agreed it helps the economy grow.
  • The poll found 71% favored U.S. energy production over participation in a global energy economy, while 29% preferred the latter.
  • On infrastructure reforms tied to electricity needs and affordability, 67% supported them, 7% disagreed and 26% had no opinion.
  • The Council for a Secure America’s June 2025 poll recorded 56% support for energy independence, compared with 53% in the newer survey.

What to watch next

  • Whether the Council for a Secure America conducts another poll on energy independence; its cited earlier comparison is from June 2025.
  • Whether a future survey reports support for energy independence using the same question about reliance on foreign oil and natural gas.
  • Whether future polling separately measures support for energy independence and support for infrastructure reforms tied to electricity needs and affordability.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
4 source articles · 4 unique outlets · 2 distinct reports
Outlet political mix: Mostly Center· 2 Center · 1 Right · 1 unrated
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 50% · Europe 25% · Other 25%
Outlet political mix
Mostly Center
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
2 outlets
1 outlet
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once. 1 unrated outlet is not included.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
4 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

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Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. Arab oil-producing countries began an oil embargo against the United States.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  2. Congress responded with the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, signed on December 22, 1975, which established the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and authorized fuel-economy standards.
    Background · from our historical context
  3. President Gerald Ford signed the Department of Energy Organization Act on August 4, 1977, creating the Department of Energy.
    Background · from our historical context
  4. Iran’s revolution disrupted the country’s oil exports.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  5. President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act, which included incentives for energy development and electricity-infrastructure provisions.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. President Barack Obama signed legislation lifting the federal ban on most crude-oil exports.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  7. The United States became a net total energy exporter in 2019, according to the Energy Information Administration, though that measure includes fuels such as natural gas and petroleum products as well as crude oil.
    Background · from our historical context
  8. In June 2025, a Council for a Secure America poll found that 56% of Americans supported energy independence, providing a recent measure of public attitudes before the organization’s later survey.
    Background · from our historical context

How we got here

In June 2025, a Council for a Secure America poll found that 56% of Americans supported energy independence, providing a recent measure of public attitudes before the organization’s later survey.

The modern federal policy framework took shape after the 1973 Arab oil embargo, imposed by Arab oil-producing countries after the United States supported Israel during the Yom Kippur War. Congress responded with the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, signed on December 22, 1975, which established the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and authorized fuel-economy standards.

Original sources

2 of 4 articles · US/Canada · Show all

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