Down on fracking

More than ever, the American public is opposed to hydraulic fracturing—the method of oil extraction also known as fracking—which now accounts for half of U.S. oil production. A recent Gallup poll asked a random sample of about 1,000 adults whether they favor or oppose fracking as a means of increasing the production of natural gas and oil in the U.S., finding that 51 percent of respondents opposed it, 36 percent approved and 13 percent had no opinion. Last year, Gallup found that only 40 percent of Americans opposed fracking. The dip in approval is likely due to increased media coverage of environmental concerns, such as fracking’s connection to manmade earthquakes.