A new public opinion poll indicates that Americans living in mid-Atlantic coastal areas support offshore drilling. In the survey conducted in April, Monmouth University researchers found 46 percent of coastal residents from Virginia to New York favor offshore energy exploration; 37 percent were opposed and 12 percent offered no opinion.

The survey, "Life on the Mid-Atlantic Coast 2009," also gauged the importance of the coast and ocean to the residents' lives and found that 90 percent spend time on the beach or swimming in local waters, half go fishing regularly and 50 percent enjoy boating. Seventy percent say that their daily activities affect the quality of the coastal environment, and three-quarters say protecting the coastline should be a high priority.

Still, these same individuals p... more »