Support for putting federal funds into alternative-energy sources such as wind, solar and hydrogen has slipped to its lowest point in polls since 2006, according to a new Washington Post-Pew Research Center poll.
The new findings follow the bankruptcy of solar-panel maker Solyndra and the ongoing congressional probe of the Obama administration’s loan-guarantee program for renewable energy.
Renewable energy still remains more popular than traditional fossil fuels, with 68 percent of respondents in favor of federal backing for it. But that is a sharp decline from the roughly eight in 10 who favored increasing federal funds for renewable energy from 2006 through early 2010.
Among Republicans and GOP-leaning independents, support for renewable-energy funding has slumped to 53 percent, a full 30 percentage points lower than Democratic backing. Democratic support remains over 80 percent.
The Nov. 3-6 phone poll of 1,005 adults has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
