Study: Fracking makes us more conservative

Published December 15, 2015 5:59pm ET



The boom in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has made voters more conservative, according to a new working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

“Support for conservative interests rises and Republican political candidates gain votes after [fracking] booms, leading to a near doubling in the probability of a change in incumbency,” researchers write. “All of this change occurs at the expense of Democrats.”

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