Poll: Americans are slow to save energy

WASHINGTON -- When it comes to saving energy, people in the United States know that driving a fuel-efficient car accomplishes more than turning off the lights at home.

But that doesn't mean they'll do it.

A new poll shows that while most of those questioned understand effective ways to save energy, they have a hard time adopting them.

Six in 10 surveyed say driving a more fuel-efficient car would save a large amount of energy, but only 1 in 4 says that's easy to do, according to the poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. People also are skeptical of carpooling or installing better home insulation.

On the other end of spectrum, 8 in 10 say they easily can turn off the lights when they leave a room, and 6 in 10 have no problem turning the thermostat up in summer or down in winter, although fewer than half think those easy steps save large amounts of energy.

The public looks to large institutions for leadership in saving energy, believing that individuals alone can't make much of a difference.

Overall energy use by people in the United States is four times the world average, according to the Energy Information Administration, but Americans use less energy per person than people in countries such as Canada, Norway and Iceland. Average energy use by Americans declined by about 9 percent from 2005 to 2009, largely because of increased efficiency of appliances and machinery, and the economic downturn, the EIA said.

The survey was conducted from March 29 to April 25. It involved phone interviews with 1,008 adults nationwide and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.