CBS Poll: Nearly Half of Americans Say Gas Prices Still Too High

Almost half of Americans in a recent survey thought gas prices were too high, despite the nationwide average's falling to well below $3 a gallon.

The CBS News survey found that 45 percent of Americans felt prices were too high. In 2012, when prices were hovering close to the $4 mark, that figure was 92 percent.

Forty-nine percent of those polled thought the current price about right, compared to 6 percent who felt the same way in 2012.

The data also show that 63 percent feel the lower prices have not affected their lives financially, while 32 percent, according to the CBS data, have benefited from the price drop.

The majority of Americans making more than $100,000 a year think the current price is about right; Americans earning less money are more divided on the issue.

The vast majority of those polled — 83 percent — said they would not drive more because of the lower gas prices.

Sixty-nine percent of respondents will use the money they save in gas to pay bills and expenses, while 52 percent will put more money into a savings or retirement account.

In terms of politics, 53 percent of Americans do not feel the president has much of a say in how much they pay at the pump. Forty-five percent, however, think the president can do something about the cost.

Thirty-five percent of Americans in the poll thought the Obama administration didn't have anything to do with the price plummet. Republicans led that charge, with 59 percent holding that view.

As of last Thursday, gas prices had fallen 29 percent since June 30, to a national average of $2.62 a gallon.

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