AP: Fracking surveys find support in unexpected places

Many people in New York and Pennsylvania have voiced concerns about the safety of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, or fracking. But two recent surveys found that some areas in New York favor drilling, and that most people in a Pennsylvania county feel the benefits outweigh the risks.

Siena College says that a poll found 50 percent of respondents in suburban areas support drilling in upstate portions of New York, while 32 percent are opposed. In New York City 41 percent supported drilling, and 29 percent were opposed.

A University of Pittsburgh poll asked similar questions in a western Pennsylvania county with intensive drilling.

Forty-nine percent there strongly or somewhat supported fracking, and 22 percent had no opinion. Just 10 percent were strongly opposed, and 19 percent were somewhat opposed.