Nearly half of the nation said it was affected by the drawn-out Colonial Pipeline gas shutoff, and most blame Russia for the six-day crisis.
But while Colonial has restarted pumping after reportedly coughing up a multimillion-dollar ransomware payment, a majority lacks the confidence that the Biden administration can protect against similar future attacks.
In the latest Rasmussen Reports survey, 47% said that they experienced fuel shortages or price increases during the crisis. Some 41% said they didn’t feel the impact, which was largely an East Coast affair.
Some 54% said that they lack the confidence that Washington will be able to stop the next attack, which voters said they have been intensely watching.
And, said Rasmussen, those polled have bought into the reports that the Russian-based hack had some Kremlin involvement.
“Some news reports indicate Russian hackers were involved in shutting down the Colonial Pipeline. Sixty-two percent (62%) of voters believe it is at least ‘somewhat likely’ that the Russian government is responsible for this attack, including 29% who say it’s ‘very likely,” said Rasmussen.
“Last week’s hacker attack that shut down the Colonial Pipeline has raised concerns about the nation’s petroleum supply,” read the Rasmussen analysis.
