Friday, October 13, 2006
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WASHINGTON — Seventy four percent of the American public believes that the federal government should provide funding for low-income families and senior citizens to pay for heating, cooling and lighting, according to a new poll released today. The poll was sponsored by The Campaign for Home Energy Assistance and conducted by Earl de Berg of Behavior Research Center.

The survey gauged public support for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program (LIHEAP), a federal program that provides formula grants to states to help low-income families pay their heating and cooling bills.

"This survey confirms what Senator Reed and I have been saying for years: that we need to fully fund the LIHEAP program in order to ensure that low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities can heat their homes in winter and cool them in the summer," said Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). "With overwhelming public support, as demostrated by this survey, I hope our colleagues will join us in supporting substantially incresaed funding for this critical program."

"For many years, Senator Collins and I have reached across the aisle and indeed, across the country in the fight to increase LIHEAP funding because it is good public policy and it's the right thing to do for our constituents in need. We are happy that this poll affirms our efforts and shows that a majority of Americans join us in supporting increased funding for LIHEAP," said Senator Jack Reed (D-RI).

The poll is available at http://liheap.org/research/summary061013.html. Key findings include:

• This is a voting issue. Fifty-seven percent of Americans surveyed say that they would more likely support a congressman for re-election who voted to increase Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) funding.
  
  
• Americans understand low-income families' difficulties because they see their own energy costs rising. Eighty-seven percent of Americans believe the cost of energy they use to heat or cool their homes is higher today than five years ago.
  
• Eighty-six percent of Americans believe that it is more difficult than five years ago for low-income families to pay their eneryg bills. This is a historic high - 78% of Americans held this belief in 2002 and 67% in 1999.

"Americans are compassionate people. They believe that working families should not be forced to choose between buying groceries and paying for heat. Congress needs to act immediately to make sure that no one is left out in the cold this winter," said Michael Bracy, Director of The Campaign for Home Energy Assistance.

"In spite of recent declines in natural gas and home heating oil, energy prices remain unaffordable for poor Americans. Last year close to 6.4 million households received energy assistance, the highest level in more than 12 years and more than 1.2 million households more than in FY 2005," said Mark Wolfe, Executive Director of The National Energy Assistance Directors' Association.

As the federal budget stands today, up to 600,000 people could be cut from LIHEAP and others may face additional cuts in benefit levels. Senator Collins and Reed, co-chairs of the Northeast/Midwest Senate Coalition, are working together to adequately fund the energy assistance program. Almost 75% of LIHEAP families have incomes below 100% of the federal poverty level (about $18,000 for a family of four).

A state-by-state table showing the number of households that were added last year as a result of an increase in LIHEAP funding and would likely be eliminated as a result of the federal budget cuts appears at www.neada.org/comm/press/pr2006-06-19.pdf.

The poll was based on a random sample of 801 adults in 50 states between September 9 and 24, 2006. The margin of error is estimated to be +/- 3.53% at a 95% confidence level. The study replicates surveys completed in 2002 and 1999.

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