May 30, 2007

Gauging Gas Prices: A Summer Tradition

Memorial Day weekend kicked off the unofficial start of summer, and you know what that means: backyard barbecues, lemonade stands, trips to the beach... and soaring gas prices.

Pollsters, known for obsessive number-crunching and trend-watching, are paying about as much attention to the national average price of gasoline these days (it's currently about $3.21, by the way) as they are to the president's job approval rating. NationalJournal.com's Poll Track has covered several national surveys (subscription) in the past week showing concern over personal finances rising along with fuel costs.

Now those figures are taking a toll on the ABC News/Washington Post weekly consumer comfort index, which has just fallen to a new low for the year.

Despite the pain at the pump, most polls have suggested that Americans won't do much to change their driving habits to accommodate higher prices. But the declining buying climate may be prompting consumers to rein in their spending in other areas.

See today's Poll Track (subscription) for more numbers on gas prices and the economy.

Posted at 1:09 PM
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