The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at SIU-Carbondale says more people are now opposed to hydraulic fracturing than they were just two years ago.
The new Southern Illinois Poll shows a majority of people in this region oppose fracking - compared to about 40-percent in opposition in the fall of 2013. The institute's polling director Charles Leonard.
"Over the course of two years, support vs. opposition to fracking went from about even to almost 20 points opposed to fracking in southern Illinois."
Illinois lawmakers passed legislation last year regulating fracking - with proponents saying it would boost the southern Illinois economy and bring more jobs. But the new poll also shows more people in this region think the oil and gas extraction method isn't safe - and in larger numbers believe the state shouldn't be promoting it.
The poll also asked whether respondents felt informed about the issue, and more people now say they have a higher level of information.
You can view the entire poll at http://paulsimoninstitute.siu.edu/_common/documents/opinion-polling/southern-illinois-poll/2015-southern-poll-fracking-release.pdf
