With millions of Americans focused on energy issues and policies, the Energy IQ surveys—conducted for American Petroleum Institute (API) by Harris Interactive®—found that most U.S. adults have a fundamental lack of knowledge about energy issues.

The 2007 inaugural Energy IQ survey demonstrated that Americans misunderstood supply and demand, as well as the role that America's oil and natural gas companies play in the economy. In fact, when presented with 20 multiple choice questions, on average more than 25 percent of respondents said they were "not sure" which answer was correct, and in many cases people chose the response that is farthest from the correct answer.

Read more about the 2007 Energy IQ survey.

The release of the second Energy IQ survey in June 2008 came after a series of national polls found broad public support for increased access to U.S. oil and natural gas resources. In comparing the results to the 2007 survey, Harris Interactive found that respondents showed increased knowledge on key issues such as the competitive advantage foreign government-owned oil companies have over U.S. companies and the restrictions that current policies place on the development of America’s own resources.

Read more about the 2008 Energy IQ survey.