The public’s perception of the energy industry overall has declined more than 10% in the last six months, according to a recent survey that attributes the drop to the blowout of BP’s Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), which has caused the nation’s worst environmental disaster.

According to Market Strategies International’s E2 (Energy + Environment) Index, which measures consumer perceptions of the energy industry’s economic contribution to the U.S. economy, environmental performance and credibility on environmental issues, the oil industry’s image has fared worse than that of the overall energy industry, declining from a score of 40 in December to 30 in June, a 25% drop.

The overall E2 Index, which encompasses all sectors of the energy industry, has fallen from 48 to 43, a decline of more than 10%.

The fallout from the GOM oil spill will have a long-lasting impact on how oil companies shape their overall business strategies and how they frame their marketing messages, said Jack Lloyd, a vice president in Market Strategies’ energy division.

“The crisis in the Gulf has awakened consumer skepticism about the oil industry and its relationship with the environment,” Lloyd said. “While the oil spill was unique to BP, it has caused consumers to question whether a similar incident could happen to other companies. The entire industry will be under intense public scrutiny for the foreseeable future.”

The E2 Index measures the industry as whole and individual sectors, including coal, oil, natural gas and electricity generation and distribution, separately. The index is measured on a 100-point scale. Market Strategies established the index in the first quarter of 2008. At that time the overall Energy Industry Index was 40 and the Oil Industry Index was 29. However, both scores began to rise in the latter half of 2008 and by December 2009 had reached 48 and 40, respectively.

Market Strategies’ research has identified five public opinion segments that share distinct attitudes and preferences on energy/environment issues, and it is not just environmentalists who think less of the oil industry, the firm said. The two segments that had the highest opinions of the oil industry prior to the GOM oil spill have seen the largest percentage drop in their E2 Index scores.

The “Carbon is King” segment, which is the only one of the five to favor increased reliance on fossil fuels, saw its rating of the oil industry fall from 59 in late 2009 to 40 in June 2010. Other segments and their ratings of the oil industry include:

While perceptions of the oil industry suffered, the changes in perceptions of the natural gas and power industries were mixed, according to the research.

Among Ultra Greens, the perception of the gas industry declined only one point, or minus 2.4%. Anything Clean respondents showed a two-point decline, or minus 3.6%; Atomic Efficiency respondents actually charged an improvement in perception of the gas industry by one point, or 1.8%; and No Nukes respondents registered a seven-point decline, or minus 12%.

On the power side, Ultra Greens registered a one-point improvement in their perception of the industry, an increase of 2.6%. Anything Clean respondents showed a two-point improvement, a gain of 3.8%; Atomic Efficiency respondents, however, charted a three-point decline, or minus 5.2%; and No Nukes respondents showed a seven-point decline, or minus 11.7%.

“The oil industry and the energy industry at large had gained significant credibility in the minds of consumers from early 2008 to late 2009,” Lloyd said. “Much of the goodwill generated by the industry in the past two years has been wiped out by the Gulf oil spill.”

A total of 1,010 interviews were completed online with consumers across the nation in late May and early June, the firm said. Respondents were recruited via an online panel to reflect key characteristics of the U.S. population, and the data was weighted to bring the sample characteristics into even closer alignment with the population, Market Strategies said.

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