Opinion Poll
Results of The Raiding of the
Connecticut
Energy Conservation Fund
Do you think the money in this fund should be used for the intended purpose or should officials continue to take money out of the energy conservation fund to pay for other things?
Overwhelmingly, Connecticut likely voters want the
portion of their electric bill that is deposited in the Energy Conservation
Fund to pay for conservation efforts in the state. Eighty-five percent of likely voters say that money in this fund
should be used for its intended purpose.
This response reflects the notion of government efficiency and
accountability.
The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters
opposes any effort that would take money from the energy funds for other
purposes. The environmental community
in Connecticut believes the programs are a key element in addressing
Connecticut's electricity congestion problem. The funds play a crucial role in
spurring demand for renewable energy and in the technologies of tomorrow --
fuel cells, wind and solar.
Methodology
CTLCV Education Fund is the educational affiliate of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters. Since 2000, the Education Fund has commissioned an annual poll of Connecticut voters to research citizen behavior and responsiveness to environmental issues.
The CTLCV Education Fund survey was conducted with 501 likely Connecticut voters in February 2003, using a random digit dialing methodology to ensure that each possible residential telephone number had an equal probability of being selected. This methodology is similar to the system used by the University of Connecticut in its Connecticut Polling program.
A quota system was used to ensure appropriate regional, party and gender representation of the final sample.
Initial screening questions were used to ensure that respondents to the survey were registered voters who said that they always or usually vote. Unregistered residents or voters who reported that they were not likely to vote were excluded from they survey
The margin of sample error associated with a survey of this size is +/- 5 percentage points at the 95th percent level of confidence. This means that there is about one chance in twenty that the results of a survey of this size would differ by more than 5 percentage points in either direction from the results that would be obtained if all likely voters in the State of Connecticut had been interviewed. The margin of sampling error is larger for sub-groups.