Jul. 2--What country is the United States' biggest supplier of imported oil?

If you answered Saudi Arabia, you're wrong.

Canada is the biggest supplier, according to the Department of Energy. The U.S. imported more than 715 million barrels from the Canadians in 2008.

But if you didn't know that, you're in the majority, according to a recent poll of Americans.

Fifty-three percent of those surveyed identified Saudi Arabia as the biggest supplier of foreign oil to the U.S. Only 12 percent picked Canada.

Harris Interactive conducted the third annual poll for the American Petroleum Institute, an oil and natural gas trade organization, to measure public awareness of various energy issues.

The survey also found that while Americans will need more energy in the coming years, they underestimate the amount of oil and natural gas that government experts predict will be needed.

"The American public wants to believe there is a silver bullet answer to our energy challenges," said Jim Hoskins, senior vice president for Harris. "Americans have become more aware of how current policies limit increased domestic production, but they also continue to have common misconceptions regarding how the industry operates."

Other responses showed that only 5 percent knew that 66 to 80 percent of the oil and natural gas consumed in 2008 in the U.S. was produced in North America. Forty-two percent thought it was less than 35 percent.

The exact figure was 73.7 percent, according to the DOE.

The poll contained 20 questions that covered a broad range. Other subjects included off-shore drilling, rate of industry profits and taxes.

"It wasn't an easy poll," Dave Dayvault, chairman of the Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association, said this week after reviewing the results. "But there are some pieces in there you would hope the public would know about, such as the importance of Canada as a supplier of crude oil."

KIOGA is not a member of the American Petroleum Institute, which tends to represent of the nation's big oil companies, Dayvault said.

But Dayvault said public awareness of the industry across the board is critical for Kansas producers because perception drives public policy.

"The public hears all too much how we rely on the Middle East for oil," he said. "What the results of this survey tell me is the industry hasn't done a good job of telling its story and the media haven't done a good job of conveying the facts."

When people do listen, he said, "They're usually hearing those who speak the loudest."

In setting up the poll, Harris largely used federal sources for providing the information.

The poll surveyed 1,298 adults from April 30 through May 8.

Reach Rick Plumlee at 316-268-6660 or rplumlee@wichitaeagle.com.

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